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Deep Dive: Station to Station (2014)

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Station to Station
Station to Station is a 2015 experimental film directed by Doug Aitken, based on his 2013 project, 'Nomadic Happening'. The film consists of 62 one-minute segments, collectively totaling 71 minutes, and was filmed over 24 days as a train traveled from New York to San Francisco. The train carried Aitken's 'kinetic light sculpture' and made 10 stops along the way, where various art happenings took place, featuring participants from diverse media including music, photography, dance, and visual arts. The film serves as a meditation on art, travel, and transience, presenting a concept film about a conceptual art project. It illustrates how a single one-minute segment can represent the whole for one viewer, while collectively, the segments form an infinite array of smaller narratives. Notable participants include Patti Smith, Beck, and Charlotte Gainsbourg, among others, showcasing a wide range of artistic expressions throughout the journey.

Why Watch

  • •See Patti Smith and Beck perform on a train.
  • •Find out about Aitken's kinetic light sculpture.
  • •Meet diverse artists from music to visual arts.

Did You Know

•The film was released at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015.
•Station to Station includes 62 one-minute films.
•The filmmakers traveled 4,000 miles by train from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
•Art happenings occurred at 10 different stops along the route.

Perfect For

Experimental film enthusiastsContemporary art loversTrain travel aficionados