Opalka Gallery is pleased to present this short film by Madison Scisci for our current exhibition, Carl Sprague: Setting the Stage, highlighting Sprague's remarkable career as a designer of the stage and screen. Carl has worked in the art departments of more than 40 films, which between them have a combined total of 35 Oscar nominations. Though he has worked with Martin Scorsese (The Age of Innocence), Steven Spielberg (Amistad), and Damien Chazelle (La La Land), the most enduring collaboration has been with Wes Anderson with whom he has worked on six films. Based in Stockbridge, MA, he continues to be involved in stage and ballet productions in the region. His solo retrospective exhibition is on view through February 24.

Madison Scisci's film reel 2021

After discovering her late father’s drafting pencil, a puzzled designer recalls memories that aid in her pursuit of completing a project.

Last year I taught myself how to knit. It became a goal that I could visualize as time passed after every stitch. Some moments feel tight, waiting to unravel. The only certainty is that there is an end, and it hides somewhere within the ball of yarn. Versions of me stay isolated in rooms going through repetitive motions day after day. As the last inch of yarn slips through my hand, it's clear that all things pass with time. I leave behind what once was taut and those once tethered are now free.

Upon Discovering an unknown object, Macie unlocks an alternate dimension where she is left to discover versions of a familiar world.

A brutal fight with the unknown knocks her into a world that many desire. As the two worlds meet, she now has to face the consequences of what she did and who she has become.

Back and forth and the mark is made. It is a way of communication, a language not spoken. The control is inevitable, you can’t look away. The scratch is a method, the scratch you can’t escape.

"The Conscious Blink" focuses on the darker alternate of one self during the duration of a single blink.

"The Hunt" is about this female who is being watched. We are the audience for a performance she is unaware of.