Chicago’s Unique Nuclear Legacy with Théodora Barat
Film, Talk
© Théodora Barat
Alliance française de Chicago
54 West Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL, 60610
Oct 30, 2025 | 6:30 pm
Explore Art, Memory, and History with Villa Albertine resident Théodora Barat.
The Alliance française de Chicago present French filmmaker and visual artist Théodora Barat‘s three of her thought-provoking documentary shorts:
- Or Anything at All Except the Dark Pavement
- Pay Less
- Off Power
After the screenings, Barat will be joined in conversation by Amy Beste, Director of Public Programs and Senior Lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, to discuss her practice and projects.
Currently in residence at Villa Albertine in Chicago, Barat is developing Superform, a multidisciplinary project exploring the sculptural and commemorative aspects of the December 1942 chain reaction at Chicago Pile-1, the first nuclear reactor, located in the basement of the University of Chicago. Her work spans photography, sculpture, and film, examining how history and memory intersect through art.
Guests are then invited to a reception, where they can enjoy a complimentary glass of French wine and engage with the artist.
About the Filmmaker
Théodora Barat is a filmmaker, visual artist, and researcher. Based in France, she is a faculty at Nantes School of Art. Her work has been exhibited and discussed in various institutions in France and abroad. Her films have been screened at numerous international film festivals. Combining film, photography, and installation, she focuses on the various manifestations and incarnations of the techno-capitalist paradigm — at the foundation of our “modern” societies. Her trilogy Pay-Less Monument (2018), Off Power (2021), and Americium (2024) is devoted to the destructive exploitation of chosen territories and the intertwining of capitalism and energy.
About the Moderator
Amy Beste is director of public programs and senior lecturer in the department of film, video, new media, and animation at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her publications include “Interview with Hannes Schüpbach” in Schüpbach (2015) and “Designers in Film: Goldsholl Associates, the Avant-Garde, and Midcentury Advertising Films” in Jacob and Baas (2012). She curates “Exhibitions: Conversations at the Edge,” an ongoing series of screenings, talks, and performances by leading media artists at the Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago. Beste received her PhD from Northwestern University.
In partnership with
Alliance française de Chicago
The Alliance Française de Chicago is over 120 years old and is part of an international network of over 1,100 Alliances and affiliated cultural centers worldwide. It is the second oldest Alliance Française in the US and second largest after the Alliance Française in New York City. Classes are offered for all ages and levels of French, leading to certifications in French for professional purposes or simply for experiencing another language and its various cultures. It also hosts an impressive array of events, bringing notable lecturers to Chicago: authors, filmmakers and directors, winemakers, chefs, designers, historians, actors and performing artists.
