Screen Bandita are the Edinburgh and Melbourne-based collective of Lydia Beilby and Leanora Olmi.
The duo create performative expanded cinema works using archival, found 8mm and 16mm film, slides, photographs and ephemera as source materials. Through the exploration of the ‘forgotten’ and obsolete elements of photochemical film, the analogue projection medium and visual culture, Screen Bandita forge elemental links with the past, while creating new participatory pieces very much rooted in the present. Within their work they aim to foreground the notion of archives as vibrant, living entities to be constantly reinvigorated, reinterpreted, reinvented and debated.
Many of our performances attempt to create a space where sound can interweave with the visuals in an unexpected way, in order to engage reciprocally in dialogue with the film and to create an immersive and transformative audio- visual experience. Collaboration is at they centre of our practise, and to this end we have worked extensively with sound artists, musicians and poets. Our work frequently integrates text, written word, re-appropriated audio materials and cut- up soundscapes channelled through vintage audio equipment.
Screen Bandita's activities also incorporate open community workshops, exploring personal archival materials and the many ways to revitalise and reinvent them through creative projects, workshops with children and 16mm direct animation sessions.