Excerpt from "792 Short Films"

57 Short Films About Bicycles

AUTOBIOANTHROPOLOGRAPHY balances pure aesthetics with historical documentation.

Since February 2003, I have shot tens of thousands of very short films with a digital pocket camera. These films range in duration from one second to the camera's built-in maximum length of 30 seconds. Because I always carry this tiny pocket camera, new films are shot daily.

The inspiration for individual clips is primarily aesthetic--I shoot reflexively, responding to some combination of form, light, and subject matter. Afterwards, I select the best clips and annotate them with descriptive keywords and log the date, location, and subject of each microdocumentary.

The result of this process is what I call AUTOBIOANTHROPOLOGRAPHY, a combination of autobiography and anthropology which results in a subjective history of our rapidly evolving culture. It is hoped that these poetic vignettes coupled with objective data will provide useful information to future folklorists who may view these films to gain insight into the quotidian aspects of early 21st century life.

Ours is a culture of instant gratification, which has as its flipside instant dissatisfaction. In our age of digital ephemera, careful archiving is key to ensuring that the records of our recent past will not be lost before they have a chance to gain value with age.

A limited edition sampler DVD is currently available at The Hideout, 1005 Boren in Seattle. Ask for Earl.

Robert Zverina Short Films bibliography:
Jeanine Anderson, Robert Zverina's AUTOBIOANTHROPOLOGRAPHY
Laura Cassidy, Good Morning and Good Luck...
Emily Hall, ART TO COME: Young Seattle Artists Show Their Stuff
Regina Hackett, An Air of Rebellion Breathes New Life into the Visual Art Scene
Regina Hackett, Robert Zverina's exalted state of reality: Finding grace in the commonplace

Early Examples: