Collected Stories is, as implied by the title, a collection of stories, curated by Ben Rivers. Fiction and poetry have always been an essential source of inspiration for his filmmaking. On the occasion of the retrospective Ghost Strata, and other stories, held at Jeu de Paume in Paris in November 2023, he decided to bring his films in conversation with writers who have influenced him over the years.
Rivers invited fourteen authors to watch one of his films and respond in writing in any way they wished. Imaginative and surprising, the fables, essays and poems of Collected Stories come together in a beautiful celebration of the work of one of contemporary cinema’s vital artists, doubling as a testament to the reciprocal nature of inspiration.
The authors of these collected stories are Gina Apostol, Chloe Aridjis, Kevin Barry, Xiaolu Guo, Golan Haji, M John Harrison, Daisy Hildyard, Nathalie Léger, Vanessa Onwuemezi, Helen Oyeyemi, Iain Sinclair, Irene Solà, Lynne Tillman and Marina Warner.
Thank you to Jeu de Paume and STUK: House for Dance, Image and Sound for generously supporting this publication.