Tune in to Green short film series

The small arts organization Diorama Room, LLC was formed in September 2019. The plan was for it to be an indoor and outdoor gallery space, in Austin, Texas, featuring artists who work in dialogue with nature. Before a rental space could be procured, the pandemic hit. Many people were saying that being in nature was keeping them sane at that time. Therefore, a website was built to collect submissions to an online short film series, Tune in to Green, which was available for rent on Vimeo. Each show was curated around the mood of the four seasons, but featured films that thoughtfully addressed our symbiotic relationship with nature and our place within it. Such understanding is crucial to developing concern and stewardship of the planet, which is the overarching goal of the organization.

Since November 2020, nine shows with 40-110 minute run times were produced. In 2022, three of them were presented at live screenings for audiences. Over 155 video and film artists, animators, documentary makers, musicians, and sound producers, from around the world, participated. In an effort to create a feeling of community and democracy, there was no entry fee and films produced with various skill levels were accepted. Any technology could be used, so footage captured with cell phones, if recorded in hi-definition, were also included. In some cases, if the people who captured the video were not familiar with editing, collaborations were formed between them and an editor within the organization.

In addition, several virtual artist talks took place for participants to discuss how ecology plays a part in their art practice. A wide variety of topics were touched upon such as organic and native plant gardening, environmental justice, climate change, and methods of developing film in a more environmentally friendly way, with “soups” made from plants, juices, coffee, or wine.

Trailers from each of the shows can be found on the ‘Past Exhibitions’ page of the Diorama Room website. Documentation from the live screenings, and video recordings of some of our artists chats, can be found on the ‘Blog’ page of the website.

The organization is in a restructuring phase making plans for the next projects. By summer 2023, it will be decided if there will be more Tune in to Green short films or in-person exhibitions. Stay tuned to our social media pages: IG @dioramaroomarts and FB @dioramaroom.natureart.