Reliance Theatre | Level 1, Emily Carr University

Join us for a free screening of films produced out of MIT’s Visible Language Workshop. The night will be prefaced by a screening of pioneering Canadian media artist Elizabeth Vander Zaag’s film “Through the Holes” (1981) and conclude with a moderated Q & A with Vander Zaag and New York-based designer David Reinfurt.

Led by visionary director Muriel Cooper and embedded in the rich technological environment of MIT, the Visible Language Workshop (1973–94) was developed from an MIT course called “Messages and Means” that took a varied approach to design—particularly examining interactive design alongside photography, typesetting, platemaking, among other forms.

Recognized in computer and graphic design circles as one of the greatest designers of the 20th century, Cooper’s work within the VLW responded to a context in which an increasingly networked world required a reconfiguration of existing modes of visual representation. As Cooper explained, “the shift from a mechanical to an information society demands new communication processes, new visual and verbal languages, and new relationships of education, practice, and production.”

These films by the Visible Language Workshop and Elizabeth Vander Zaag evidence the new forms of visuality that emerged in the later 20th century through bold experimentation with graphic design, computer systems, and data imaging.

Entrance to this screening is free. An RSVP is requested but not required. Co-presented with Cineworks. Organized in collaboration with the Ian Gillespie Faculty of Design + Dynamic Media.

Film Program

Through the Holes
Directed by Elizabeth van der Zaag 1981 / DCP / 4 Min

Spatial Data Management Systems
Directed by William Donelson 1980 / DCP / 11 Min

Research Topics in the Visible Language Workshop
1986 / DCP / 20 Min

Muriel Cooper: TED 5 Talk
1994 / DCP / 33 Min

Information Landscapes
1994 / DCP / 8 Min

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