Collective are delighted to launch our 2022 programme with a presentation of Cauleen Smith’s film H-E-L-L-O (2014), produced by Emmie McLuskey, which brings together themes of historic erasure, presence and loss.

H-E-L-L-O takes John Williams’ famous five-note musical motif from Stephen Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, translating it into a greeting for sites across post-hurricane Katrina New Orleans. The various interpretations of the sequence speak to the enduring spirit of the city. Although situated in the geography of New Orleans, Smith's film allows us to contemplate Edinburgh’s relationship to its own landscape, inhabitants and history in a time of turbulence and change.

Cauleen Smith is an American born filmmaker and multimedia artist, best known for experimental works that address African-American identities. Smith currently teaches at the California Institute of the Arts.

Emmie McLuskey is an artist and producer based in Glasgow. She took part in the Satellites Programme at Collective in 2018/19 and regularly works with other people to create exhibitions, publications, events, audio work and films.

More information can be seen in our media release.

H-E-L-L-O will be screened on loop in the City Dome from 22 January - 15 May. Entry is free and there is no need to pre-book.

Collective is currently open Thu-Sun, 10am-4pm (Tue-Sun, 10am-5pm from April 2022)