WATER MOTOR, 1978, 16mm B&W, 7 min.

Choreography and solo performance by Trisha Brown 

“One of the best dance films ever made.” – Yvonne Rainer

The image fades in. For two seconds Trisha is there standing motionless, then she starts to dance her solo WATER MOTOR, indeed moving as quickly as water. The movements are so fast and intricate that you feel you are missing half of it. When the dance is finished Trisha is standing motionless as in the beginning but closer to the camera and the image fades to black. The image fades in again on Trisha doing the same dance, but this time in slow motion (shot at 48 frames per second) and the movement takes on a luscious quality that informs the viewer of what was missed before. – BM

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Permanent Collection: 

Lincoln Center Performing Art Library DVD only

Centre de La Dance, Pantin, France DVD only 

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Permanent collection as a 16mm films print:

Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, Italy 

Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona (MACBA)

Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris 

Tate Modern, London UK

Inhotim Foundation, Bella Horizon, Brazil