2026 Midwest Video Poetry Fest Program 3 | Arts + Literature Laboratory | Madison Contemporary Arts Center

2026 Midwest Video Poetry Fest Program 3

Join us for the 3rd and final program of the 2026 Midwest Video Poetry Fest at 8 PM on Saturday, April 4, 2026. Eight films from Australia; Brazil; China; Ireland; the Netherlands; St. Augustine, FL; and Olympia, WA centering around the more-than-human world. 

Program 1 begins at 6 PM and Program 2 begins at 7 PM 

colorful film strip with branches superimposed across

1) I found some old footage of a tree (04m54s)
Directed by Krista Leigh Steinke
Written by
Texas, United States
Krista Leigh Steinke Website

In "I found some old footage of a tree," the materiality of film becomes a metaphor for time, impermanence, and the ephemeral nature of the physical world. 

blue and beige fiber art with foam superimposed

2) Invisible Rivers Triptych (04m34s)
Directed by Marilyn McCabe
Written by Marilyn McCabe
United States

A three-part videopoem reflecting on the changing world, the changing self, the changing river.

drawing of a fish in the process of being cleaned

3) Red Bucket (03m51s)
Directed by Patrick Moser
Written by Patrick Moser
Florida, United States
Patrick Moser Website

Featured in 15 festivals, "Red Buckets" is an experimental animated reflection on a failed attempt to clean fish as a privileged child on the southern coast.

a drawing of a satellite above the Earth

4) Mitosis (04m02s)
Directed by Desi Mensah
Written by Louise Glück
Netherlands

Louise Glück's poem uses the concept of mitosis--the process by which a cell replicates and segragates its chromosomes--to explore the divergent paths of the mind and the body.

aquarium with a fish and its reflection against bright geometric shapes

5) Flowing Soil And Other Forms (05m28s)
Directed by Yujie Xu
Written by Yujie Xu
China
XU Yujie Website

Mesmerizing animated film tracing the shape of an old place.

a young man reclines on grass and a woman looks to the left

6) Late on the Planet (05m00s)
Directed by Julia Tonon
Written by Leonardo Piana, Julia Tonon
Brazil
Hombres Videopoetry Award article

Guided by poetry, "Late on the Planet" is a meditation on the weight we give to the idea of finitude and on our precarious relationship with the more-than-human world.

person in a tux with arm raised with a blue border around and pink spirals

7) Blame (04m51s)
Directed by Emily Munro
Written by Emily Munro
United Kingdom
Emily Munro Website

A love poem at the end of the world, navigating an ecological break-up.

blurred repeating image of a brick building with slanted roof

8) Are We There Yet? (04m13s)
Directed by Ian Gibbins
Written by Ian Gibbins
Australia

The Anthropocene has been defined as the geologic period where the environmental effects of humans can be found preserved in the sediments of the earth. However there is considerable debate around the nominal starting point of this period. So the big question is: are we there yet?

a black cat and a doe kissing

9) A Vernacular of the Numinous (05m55s)
Directed by M Freeman
Written by M Freeman
Washington, United States
M Freeman's website

Juxtaposing spacious moving images of the everyday with a voiced reflection on the busy life and everyday mystical moments, A Vernacular of the Numinous is a poetic meditation on the extraordinary ordinary.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Arts + Literature Laboratory is located at 111 S. Livingston Street #100, Madison, Wisconsin, 53703.

Our galleries are open Tuesday through Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday noon to 5pm, and other programs take place throughout the week. Please check the events calendar and education section for details.

CALENDAR

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Stay up to date on upcoming programs and opportunities through our monthly newsletter.