Mark LaPore (1952-2005) was an uncanny observer, a profound wanderer and explorer. His work in film applied a fascinated observational patience, akin to that of Lumière and Warhol, to deeply explore the tangled relationships between ethnography and individual subjectivity while elaborating a complex philosophy of visual ethics. In anticipation of a larger screening series commemorating his work and relationships, we present The Sleepers, A Depression in the Bay of Bengal, The Five Bad Elements and The Glass System, four films—variously based on encounters and experiences in Sudan, Sri Lanka, Calcutta and New York—which reveal uncanny similarities between cultures as well as profound, possibly irreconcilable differences.

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