Phil Hastings's "Steadfast" to be screened at the 18th Biennale of Sydney

Phil Hastings, a filmmaker and Visual Arts and New Media assistant professor, has been invited to give an artist talk and screen his film, “Steadfast,” at the 18th Biennale of Sydney, a three-month visual arts exhibit presented every two years in Australia. 

His film will be screened at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney from June 27 to September 16. Hastings will give a talk on Friday, June 28 at the gallery.

“Steadfast” is a part of Hastings’ "The Lake Series," four films which use water to explore elements of the human condition. "Water can be intimate or expansive, life giving or life destroying,' he said. "It is eternal, ephemeral, and in a constant state of change." 

It was created from only 30 seconds of unbroken footage which is lengthened to eight minutes via extreme slow motion. Hastings said his intention was to disengage the viewer from normal time and enable contemplation while watching the foamy water of Lake Erie as it crashes against a cove. 

On Vimeo, Hastings describes "Steadfast": "(It was) shot on a bitterly cold, winter day when the wind was gusting to 60 MPH and chunks of ice the size of small cars were rolling and advancing on the frozen build-up of the shore. As I watched the waves crash against the cliffs 30 feet in the air I saw the house on the far side of the bay. It seemed to be standing its ground as the waves crashed upon it. This mere 30 seconds of useable steady footage became Steadfast." 

"Steadfast" has been reviewed in Art in America, Canadian Art  and The Wall Street Journal.

The Biennale of Sydney is Australia's largest and most exciting contemporary visual arts event, which includes a program of artist talks, performances, forums, film screenings, family events, guided tours and other special events. It is known for showcasing the freshest and most provocative contemporary art from Australia and around the world.

Hastings’s work has screened across the U.S. and Canada, including the Black Maria Film Festival, Winnipeg International Film Festival, Athens International Film and Video Festival, and the Humboldt International Short Film Festival. Prior to joining SUNY Fredonia, he was a director of the Big Muddy Film Festival. Recently, he started the SUNYWide Film Festival for students in the SUNY system.

Hastings earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Columbus College of Art and Design.