John Smith (born 1952, Walthamstow, East London, England) is a British avant garde filmmaker and professor of Fine Art based in London. His work has been noted for his use of humour in exploring various themes that often play upon the film spectator's conditioned assumptions of the medium, and he is therefore often associated with structural film.

His 1976 film The Girl Chewing Gum has been called one of the most important avant-garde films of the 20th century.

Early life and education

Smith was born in 1952 in Walthamstow, East London and later studied film at the Royal College of Art. During this time he found inspiration in conceptual art, structural film and spoken word.

Career

While still attending college, Smith made The Girl Chewing Gum in 1976, which remains his best-known work. The film consists of two camera shots and narration by Smith. He directs the movement of passersby, pigeons, and even inanimate objects. The official Tate artwork collection text draws a relation to François Truffaut's 1973 film La nuit américaine, pointing out the shared theme of exposing the work of the director.

Smith has made more than 60 films over 50 years. He studied together with filmmaker Peter Gidal, a founding member of the London Film-Makers' Co-op. Smith was at some point part of the LFMC, speaking fondly of colleagues such as Ian Breakwell.

Style

Smith has said his goal is "making films that are as simple as possible".

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|Hackney Marshes - November 4th 1977

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Bibliography

  • The Arts in the 1970s: Cultural Closure? (with Peter Gidal, Materialist Film (Routledge) and Bart J. Moore-Gilbert), Routledge, 1994,

References

  • Official website
  • An essay on Smith's film 'The Girl Chewing Gum' on Tate website
  • An essay on Smith from Idiom magazine
  • An interview with Smith from Sight & Sound magazine
  • An Essay on John Smith's Hotel Diaries