Drawn to the light: Cinematic and Performative Ecologies in Stan Brakhage's Mothlight (1963) and Eiko Otake's Night with Moths (2019)

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to explore the evocative use of moths within cinematic and performative contexts. To do so, two moving image works were chosen, each framed within in a comparative context to the other: the first, the historic and iconic masterwork of avant-garde cinema by the legendary filmmaker Stan Brakhage titled Mothlight (1963), and the second, a contemporary performance video titled Night with Moths (2019) by the interdisciplinary movement-based artist, Eiko Otake. With their attraction to light, along with their fluttering, nocturnal flights, moths seem to have a strong kinship with not only the moving images of cinema, but also with the movement focus of dance and performance. Indeed, the very presence of moths in both moving image works, invites us to witness compelling cinematic and performative collaborations that move across species and ecologies.