Series: Frames of Reference
Program: Ellis Island
Date: 1981-01-01
Duration: 00:00:53

Subject: Immigration and emigration; Modern dance; Ellis Island (N.Y.)
People: Monk, Meredith
Copyright Holder: Greenwich Film Associates

Clip Description
This excerpt from Meredith Monk's haunting, reflective piece on Ellis Island and the immigrants who passed through there shows re-creations of the medical examinations the immigrants underwent and the conditions they lived through. The sequences were filmed in the run-down buildings of Ellis Island before restoration was started.

Program Description
Meredith Monk's "Ellis Island" is a haunting, reflective piece on Ellis Island and the immigrants who passed through there.

Meredith Monk's Ellis Island Black-and-white, near-static shots of actors and actresses realistically portraying turn-of-the-century immigrants are combined with color shots of a modern-day tour guide conducting a tour of the buildings. Re-creations of the medical examinations the immigrants underwent and the conditions they lived through are filmed in the run-down buildings of Ellis Island before restoration was started. Elements of modern dance are also incorporated, as contemporary dance groups often interact with the immigrant re-creations. Ethereal music and chanting accompany the piece, adding to the piece's reflective tone. Particularly beautiful is a three-minute dance scene performed by what appear to be the ghosts of immigrants. Music written by Meredith Monk and performed by Monk and others. The music consists mostly of chanting, which supports the haunting, reflective mood of the piece. Produced by Bob Rosen. Directed by Meredith Monk.

Unfinished segments of "Ellis Island" were broadcast as part of the "Frames of Reference" showcase specials "Landscape in Motion" and "Dance Journeys." Paperwork suggests it was eventually broadcast in full as part of "Alive From Off Center" in 1987.

Series Description
The New Television Workshop originated at WGBH, a public broadcasting station in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1974 to support the creation and development of experimental video art. This experimental programming included dance, drama, music, performance and visual arts on video and film. As early as 1968, WGBH was committed to the development of video art through residency programs, with artists such as Nam June Paik, and the "Rockefeller Artists-in-Television" project. Many of these early works (pre-1974) were broadcast both locally and nationally.

As an umbrella for arts related programming, the Workshop included "Artist's Showcase, " "Frames of Reference, " "Dance for Camera, " "Poetry Breaks," and "New Television," as well as acquired arts programming. Individual works were created for "Visions," a series produced by WNET (New York), and "Alive From Off Center," a series produced by KTCA (St. Paul - Minneapolis). The Contemporary Art Television (CAT) Fund was co-founded by the Workshop and Boston's Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) in the 1980's, to commission works by video artists. In 1993 the Workshop ceased production at WGBH.

See also: http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/NTW/FA/TITLES/Ellis192.HTML