David Rimmer
“I was always interested in playing with the actual medium itself, like a painter works with paint and canvas, in a really physical way.” (2011)
David Rimmer is an experimental filmmaker, working also in documentary and animation. His avant-garde films combine found footage, optical and contact printing, time-lapse cinematography, and innovative soundtracks. He often turns small moments, such as the view from a window, into large ones. His films focus on people and landscapes in a diverse, historical, and dangerous world.|
Rimmer has always been active in the Vancouver art scene, beginning in the late 1960s with the artist-run Intermedia Film Cooperative. A move to New York (1971-1974) provided his practical film education. He had a show at the Museum of Modern Art, and engaged with other filmmakers through his involvement with the Millennium Film Workshop. He has taught at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Simon Fraser University, and the University of British Columbia. He lives and works in Vancouver.
Rimmer worked for the CBC early in his career, and often used their surplus film footage in his projects. This technique shows in films such as Watching for the Queen, 1973 and Local Knowledge, 1992. In his more recent projects, Rimmer uses a combination of both film and video. His work has been screened at many prestigious international venues, such as the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris, Canada House in London, and the European Media Art Festival in Osnabruck, Germany. Rimmer is a winner of the 2011 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts.