The SPECTRAL project brought together six European artist-run analogue film labs that collaborated around the theme of expanded cinema between 2022 and 2025. They organized performances, exhibitions, residencies, tours and workshops, and revitalized old machinery and forgotten traditions while developing new devices. The six contributions contained in the SPECTRAL book, one for each laboratory, range from essays about the evolution of immersive, 360° analogue film technology to poetic explorations of the elemental origins of film, DIY technical manuals, analyses of the practice of re-enacting expanded cinema performances, transcripts of discussions about the work of artists active in this field, and finally logbook-like accounts of those who took part in the residencies. Together, they provide an insight into the work and activities of artist-run analogue film labs in Europe, and more specifically, into forms of cinema that expand beyond the four corners of the screen.
Title: SPECTRAL Authors: Baltic Analog Lab, Crater-Lab, WORM Filmwerkplaats, Laia — Torre, LaborBerlin, Mire Publisher: Self-published Dimensions: 22 x 15 x 1,6 cm Pages: 144 Release date: 2026
