“Visual Acoustics” Highlights Architectural Photographer Julius Shulman

Carl Holman

Asst. Director of Marketing & Communications

(904) 620-1921

The University of North Florida Fine Arts Center welcomes “Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman” with Producer/Director Eric Bricker as part of the Southern Arts Federation’s Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers at 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 13, at the UNF Recital Hall. Following a screening of his documentary, “Visual Acoustics,” Bricker will engage the audience in a discussion about the film and his work as a filmmaker. Tickets are available for $7 for adults and $5 for students from the UNF Ticket Box Office.

Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, “Visual Acoustics” explores the monumental career of 97-year-old architectural photographer Julius Shulman. Populating his photos with human models and striking landscapes, Shulman combined the organic with the synthetic, melding nature with revolutionary urban design. The resulting images helped to shape the careers of some of the greatest architects of the 20th Century, with Shulman documenting the work of Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler, Pierre Koening, John Lautner and many others. Taking its aesthetic cues from Shulman’s own sensual and nuanced photography, the film’s narrative is built from a blend of Shulman's own images as well as in-depth interviews with architect Frank Gehry, designer Tom Ford, artist Ed Ruscha, actress Kelly Lynch, writer Mitch Glazer, publisher Benedikt Taschen, Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Dante Spinotti, and a host of others.

After college graduation, Bricker spent a few years acting with the California Repertory Company and the Utah Shakespearean Festival. Upon settling in Los Angeles, he turned his focus toward film and television production where he worked with such notable talent as Jerry Seinfeld, Alec Baldwin and Danny Aiello. Meanwhile, Bricker explored his affinity for music, playing percussion with the likes of Kenny G and Perry Farrell at the Coachella Music Festival. As his passion for filmmaking grew, so too did his art consultation firm, Artistic Designs Unlimited, which was formed in 1996. It was in 1998, when in need of vintage photos of San Francisco, that Bricker was led to Shulman. At the outset an enduring friendship between the two began. Recognizing the extraordinary amount of humanity and profundity Shulman and his work possessed, Bricker put into motion his inspiration for “Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman.” He is currently at work on a narrative feature exploring the contemporary art world.

The award-winning “Visual Acoustics” has screened in numerous festivals, including the Los Angeles Film Festival, St. Louis International Film Festival, New Zealand International Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, Festival International Du Film Sur L’Art, among many others. The documentary has been honored as the Audience Award Winner for Documentary Feature at both Palm Springs International Film Festival and Austin Film Festival, as well as the Grand Jury Prize Winner for Documentary Feature at Lone Star International Film Festival.

The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers is a program of the Southern Arts Federation, a not-for-profit regional arts organization making a positive difference in the arts throughout the South since 1975.  Southern Arts Federation is supported by funding and programming partnerships with the National Endowment for the Arts and the state arts agencies of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Special support for Southern Circuit is provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. For more information on the Southern Arts Federation and its programs visit www.southarts.org.

Tickets and Information:

Tickets are available for $7 for adults and $5 for students in cash from the UNF Ticket Box Office. For complete information about any shows or to purchase single tickets, visit www.unf.edu/fineartscenter or call the UNF Ticket Box Office at (904) 620-2878.  Patrons can visit the Box Office in person at the University of North Florida, Building 45, Room 1400, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32224. Hours are 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 90 minutes prior to show time.

-- U N F --