denim stories
DENIM STORIES is a video for installation projection. I’m intrigued by people in archival film. They appear, then disappear like ghosts. Who were they? Many years ago, I found unedited footage shot by a film crew in a Southern cotton mill. I know it was shot in 1922 but the location is unknown. Someone on the crew held up slates so the scenes could be identified for editing. I reorganized the jumbled scenes and fixed the exposures. I adjusted the speed so we can see workers’ fleeting glances at the camera, allowing us to connect with them as individuals. When I saw the footage again after making a documentary about indigo, I realized that they’re making denim. —Mary Lance
