The Academy Museum Presents 2 new exhibits: "Color in Motion" and “Cyberpunk” through April 12, 2026.

(WestHollywoodToday.blogspot CA October 7 2024) Photos by Karen Ostlund.


The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Presents Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema & Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema.
                                                                                   

Shirley Temple costume from The Little Colonel, 1935.

Both exhibits opened on Sunday, October 6 2024. - Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema runs through July 13, 2025 and Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema runs through April 12, 2026.

The Academy Museum's galleries and store are open six days a week from 10am to 6pm and are closed on Tuesdays. AcademyMuseum.org
                                                                            

Speakers: (Left) Sophia Serrano, Jessica Niebel, Amy Homma, Bill Kramer, Doris Berger, Shraddha Aryal and Nicholas Barlow.

"Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema" investigates the role of color in film, from the scientific and technological advancements that made it possible, to its emotional and psychological impact on viewers, to the ways filmmakers use color as a storytelling tool.

The exhibition takes an immersive and innovative approach to understanding cinematic color through six unique galleries, each focusing on a different aspect of film color.
"Color in Motion" engages visitors through dynamic, colorful film installations and features objects from the silent era through the digital age, including cameras, projectors, costumes, props, animation cels, and film posters. It is curated by Senior Exhibitions Curator Jessica Niebel with Assistant Curator Sophia Serrano, Curatorial Assistant Manouchka Kelly Labouba, and Research Assistant Alexandra James Salichs.
"Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema" is accompanied by a catalogue co-published with DelMonico Books.

Jessica Niebel, Senior Exhibit Curator said, "Color in Motion" will offer visitors a learning experience and an emotional connection through the senses. They will explore colors through the lenses of technology, artistry and experimentation".

Vice President of Curatorial Affairs Doris Berger said, "I'm excited that our exhibit presents classic Cyberpunk movies, along with recent futurist films around the world."

Both "Cyberpunk" and "Color in Motion" are part of PST ART: Art & Science Collide, presented by Getty featuring more than 70 cultural institutions across Southern California.
                                                           

Dorothy’s ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz (USA, 1939).

Highlights include:

• Dorothy’s ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz (USA, 1939).

• A green costume worn by Kim Novak in Vertigo (USA, 1958).

• A blue costume worn by Jamie Foxx in Django Unchained (USA, 2012).

• The red jacket worn by Jack Nicholson in The Shining (USA, 1980).

• A red sari worn by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Jodhaa Akbar (India, 2008).

• Two-color and three-color Technicolor cameras highlighting the Technicolor II and IV processes.

• A yellow color study model of the house from Pixar’s Up (USA, 2009)

• Original materials from Disney’s Ink & Paint Department.

• An early stencil cutting machine and stencil application machine used at Pathé studios.

A Color Arcade concludes the exhibition with an opportunity for visitors to physically interact with color through physical movement, inviting them to see, create, and experience "color in motion."
                                                                          

Tinted filmstrips from late 1800 Century.

Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema examines the global impact and lasting influence of the science fiction subgenre cyberpunk on cinema culture. Featuring near-future scenarios set in worlds that resemble our own, cyberpunk films juxtapose technological advances with social upheaval, ecological crisis, and urban decay. Central to these stories are outcasts and rebellious characters who fight against corrupt political systems, technology gone haywire, global mega-corporations, and colonialism.
                                                                                 

Vid phone-booth from Bladerunner, 1982.

The Academy Museum’s Cyberpunk exhibit features production materials, costumes, props, and concept art from iconic cyberpunk films including Blade Runner (USA, 1982), Tron (USA, 1982), and eXistenZ (Canada, 1999).

It also spotlights international films like Sleep Dealer (Mexico/USA, 2008) and foundational animated features such as Ghost in the Shell (Japan, 1995).
The installation explores themes and visual motifs of cyberpunk and futurist films, with a voice-over scripted by writer-director Alex Rivera. The installation illustrates cyberpunk’s 20th-century origins and the new, global directions it has taken in the 21st century - as it  expanded into genres like Afrofuturism (Neptune Frost, Rwanda/USA, 2021), Latinxfuturism (Alita: Battle Angel, USA, 2019), and Indigenous Futurism (Night Raiders, Canada/New Zealand, 2021).
                                                                                   

Three-color  Technicolor IV camera, 1937.

The catalogue offers new perspectives on cyberpunk cinema and its legacies, and a mixed-reality experience, created in partnership with Magnopus, explores the creation of a dystopian cyberpunk landscape

Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema is curated by Doris Berger, Vice President of Curatorial Affairs, with Nicholas Barlow and Emily Rodriguez, assistant curators. AcademyMuseum.org 6067 Wilshire blvd, Los Angeles CA 90036.