
Obsessed With Light Film Screening (Portland): Discover the Life of Loie Fuller
Obsessed With Light film screening and member afterparty are sponsored by Judith Carlson Kelley.
This film screening is presented in partnership with Cinema 21. Looking for the Hood River screening? Click here >>
Obsessed with Light (2023) is a documentary film about Loïe Fuller, one of Maryhill Museum of Art’s cofounders and a pioneer of modern dance.
“Bridging her pioneering work with the modern influences all around us (yes, even in Taylor Swift concerts), this wondrous doc is most thrilling as an archival endeavor of all that Fuller created and inspired.”
— Variety magazine
What’s included with Obsessed With Light tickets
• An introduction by Maryhill Museum of Art Executive Director & CEO Amy Behrens
• The feature film, reviewed by Variety magazine as “a necessary watch for even those having a passing interest in dance, silent cinema, la Belle époque, lighting design, modern fashion and perhaps everything in between.”
• A post-film recorded discussion by the film’s directors, Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum
Film tickets are available from the ticketing website of our partner, Cinema 21.
Buy tickets
MUSEUM MEMBERS: Join us for a complimentary exclusive afterparty with drinks and light bites. (6-7 PM)
Membership to Maryhill Museum of Art starts at less than $5/month! Sign up today to receive benefits at & beyond the museum all year long and support a journey of educational enrichment in the Columbia River Gorge.
From the filmmakers:
Obsessed with Light is a meditation on light and the enduring obsession to create. The film pulls back the curtain on Loïe Fuller, a wildly original performer who revolutionized the visual culture of the early 20th century. But it is not a biopic. Creating a dialogue between the past and the present, the documentary delves into the astonishing influence Fuller’s work has on contemporary culture including artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Taylor Swift, Bill T. Jones, Shakira and William Kentridge, among many others. In the process, the film uncovers commonalities that connect these creative luminaries to Fuller and each other.
The American creator of modern dance, Fuller (1862-1928) invented a completely new kind of spectacle which combined dance, fabric and movement. She also pioneered the ingenious use of electricity for the stage, even building a glass floor so that she could be lit from below. Anyone who has been to a rock concert has seen a modern version of her lighting designs. Fuller propelled herself into swirling abstractions that made audiences gasp and she immediately understood the importance of protecting her ownership of these innovations. Always struggling against a flood of imitators, Fuller was the first choreographer to attempt to copyright her dances and sued to protect her work as early as 1893.
Loïe Fuller & Maryhill Museum of Art
In her heyday, Loïe Fuller’s circle of friends included artists, politicians, and European royalty. It was she who convinced Sam Hill to turn his unfinished mansion south of Goldendale, WA into a museum originally intended to showcase French fine art. She also cultivated friendships with Marie, the Queen of Romania, and Alma de Bretteville Speckels, philanthropist and founder of the Museums of San Francisco’s Legion of Honor art museum.
Fuller’s close association with well-known artists in France helped build the core of the museum’s collection, including works by French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Fuller is one of the primary founders of Maryhill Museum of Art along with Hill, Queen Marie, and Spreckels.
Visit The Loie Fuller Exhibition at Maryhill Museum of Art, which includes Art Nouveau posters, photographs, art glass, and memorabilia from her 35-year career as a performer.
Hourly Schedule
- 4:00 PM - 4:05 PM
- Introduction
- by Executive Director & CEO Amy Behrens
- 4:05 PM - 5:45 PM
- Feature film
- 5:45 PM - 6:00 PM
- Post-film recorded discussion
- by the film's directors, Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum
- 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
- Afterparty
- exclusively for members of Maryhill Museum of Art