Standing Nymph and Man

In Standing Nymph and Man, the Fine Arts Building in Chicago is the protagonist rather than the subject. Designed originally by Solon Spencer Beman in 1884 as a soundproof structure for the Studebaker Company (a former American automobile company), the building has for many years been home to artists’ studios and services for classical music. This sonic history and presence are constantly evoked in the film’s soundtrack, which highlights the building’s reverberant acoustic qualities. Another invisible but audible presence is the occasional voice of the building’s cleaning woman, who relates her personal encounters with the building. A little masterpiece full of inventiveness and poetry.