INTROSPECTION 1941-1946

The final form of Introspection, which premiered as a part of SFMOMA’s Art in Cinema series on May 2nd, 1947, is notable as it is likely the first abstracted dance films ever created.  A visual artist by training, Arledge began work on the film as a means of “adding time to painting” in 1941 and explored every facet of her Kodak Cine Special to do so, placing colored gels over her lenses, using matte inserts to double or triple expose parts of the frame and using a car’s reflective hubcap

Sara Kathryn Arledge’s work was groundbreaking for its time, though her films were not screened with much frequency until decades after their creation. In addition, Arledge was frequently institutionalized against her will for mental illness, highlighting the barriers faced by women artists working in patriarchal spaces.