Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis (2006) A film by Mary Jordan. Colour, Sound, 94 mins.

“FLAMING.”

“RAGING.”

These were some of JACK SMITH’S criteria for art.

One of the most revolutionary underground American artists of the 20th century, the recognition of Jack Smith’s (1932-1989) legacy and influence is one that is well overdue. Thankfully, in 2006, filmmaker MARY JORDAN created this beautiful documentary portrait of Jack Smith, with never before seen footage of Jack’s performances, behind-the-scenes footage from his films, as well as rare voice recordings of Smith’s musings on art and society.

“My business card read: “Everything from Ancient Egypt to 1940s” said Smith.

Working across the disciplines of performance, photography and film, Smith is best known for his film works in the Sixties, with notable works including the outrageous and infamously banned Flaming Creatures (1963) and the utopian Normal Love (1963). Creating and living within a world of his own fantasy, Smith was a resolute anarchist, manifestly against establishment in all of its forms. “I want to be uncommercial film personified”, as Smith said. Smith’s provocative and often erotic works anticipate the coming sexual revolution and gay rights movements of the Sixties, fuelled with his own burning desire to transgress gender roles and social taboos.

In a surreal medley of colours, his films take shape, often in a “controlled chaos”: a non-narrative structure paired with studied compositions and styling. His casts include his entourage, or ‘exotic creatures‘ as he liked to call them, largely composed of non-actors.

Smith’s work and life are characterised by a deep faith in Art. An art with the power to transgress rules and conventions. An art celebrating the alternative, the outcast, the rebellious and the marginalised. It’s the world of dream infilitrating and transforming reality: Smith’s art becomes a rallying call for the daring and independent minded, demanding the recreation of our world and existence. The only limit? One’s own imagination.

“A man without his dreams withers and grows old”, as Jack Smith reminds us.

Text by Sophie Pinchetti