The Beauty is Relentless
The Short Movies of Emily Vey Duke and Cooper Battersby


A new book edited by Mike Hoolboom.

Featuring essays by: Jason McBride, Claudia Dey, Sholem Kristalka, Kyo Maclear, Terence Dick, Andrea Slovakova, Tom Sherman, Steve Reinke, Sarah Hollenberg, Monique Moumblow, Akira Mizuta Lippit.


"[Here] exists a kind of nakedness, a peeling away of propriety, a questioning of behavioral and social systems—and yet I find their work refreshingly playful and deeply generous."—Deborah Stratman, University of Illinois at Chicago.

The literary post-punk short movies of Emily Vey Duke and Cooper Battersby have been tearing up the festival/gallery circuit for the past fifteen years with their blend of bedroom pop, perverse animations, and hopes for fame. In this collection of award-winning scripts, creative writings, and critical missives, scholars, video legends, and animal experts—including Steve Reinke, Sarah Hollenberg, Akira Lippit, and Tom Sherman—weigh in on why these movies matter.

Emily Vey Duke and Cooper Battersby have been collaborating since 1994. Their work has won the top prize at festivals in Ann Arbor and Chicago, and awards in , Zurich, and Hamburg. They teach at Syracuse University.

Mike Hoolboom is an internationally renowned experimental moviemaker and critic.


Made possible by: Pleasure Dome, mocca, and The Canada Council for the Arts.

Available from Coach House Books and amazon.com