Client
Cookie Factory
Director, DP, Producer, Edit, Sound Design
Conor King
Color
Sota Kishida
Cookie Factory commissioned a documentary film following artist Gary Simmons as he installed Rush, an exhibition exploring memory, myth-making, and the ways history is constructed, erased, and remembered. Filmed during the installation of the exhibition, the film offers an intimate look at an artist internationally recognized for using erasure as both a material process and a conceptual strategy.
Drawing on references from popular culture, cinema, and the American West, Simmons transforms the gallery into an immersive environment of chalk drawings, partially erased imagery, and layered narratives. Through conversations and observational footage, the film examines how Rush engages Colorado’s history as a gateway to westward expansion, while questioning the myths of ambition, progress, and Manifest Destiny that continue to shape American identity.
To preserve the natural rhythm of Simmons’ process and encourage candid reflection, I filmed the project solo, maintaining a minimal production presence.
Designed to be presented alongside the artwork, the film invites viewers deeper into Simmons’ investigation of absence, memory, and representation. By revealing both the physical act of making and erasing marks, and the ideas that drive his work, the documentary provides insight into Simmons' practice, revealing how acts of drawing, erasure, and repetition become tools for examining cultural memory and the stories that shape our understanding of history.
