We film the arts.
Documentary series and commissioned films for galleries, organizations,
and people with a mission worth sharing. Baltimore-based.
How I see it.
Observational, attentive, patient. A reel of documentary work.
Studio to Show.
Commissioned films documenting the making of a body of work.
Every show tells part of the story.
The work in the gallery is the finished thought, but the thinking, the doubt, the weeks of deciding and undeciding, the moment the piece almost didn't come together, all of that happens before the doors open, and then it's gone. Most of it is never seen by the people who come to see the work.
I make films about the part that doesn't show up in the gallery. Time with the artist in the lead-up to a show, observing the process while it's still uncertain. A record of how the work came to be and everything that went into it.
I got into this because I genuinely love watching people do what they're made for.
I'm Chris Irr, a filmmaker based in Baltimore.
I've spent over twenty years making documentary work in Boston, in LA, and in places I didn't expect to end up. I'm drawn to artists and their work, especially the making of it. The subject matter has always changed, but the thing I'm looking for never does. What keeps us pursuing the things we love?
I started Recreational Aesthetics Club because I wanted to do this work on my own terms. Recreational, because it should feel like play. Aesthetics, because it still has to be beautiful. Club, because I don't want to do this alone. And I don't think you do either.
Let’s talk about your next show.
Whether you've got a show on the calendar, an artist in mind, or you just want to talk through what's possible, send a note.
This comes straight to me. I'll reply within a day or two.