Parity Pipeline

Genre

Synopsis

Director Keri Pickett shows how documenting runs in the family. What makes us remember?  Authenticity is valued and originals are valued and Roy is interested is collecting history at an early age. As he ages that desire has time to be fed and the collection grows. Shown by his approach to life and his selfless dedication to preserving beauty that he is an authentic original.  This is a linear story - a memoir of an artist told in a non-linear way as Roy’s life and impact are shown in order of the story and not the narrative as a memory is contained in photos and films the life unfolds all at once. The use of split screen and multi screen allows for time to both be held in a photograph and also to roll on as archival 8 mm footage. The path is rich with imagery. This is a media rich story about a photographer who inspired his niece to become a photographer and to document his story. This is a story with circles in the circles. Forced out of NYC by rising rents Roy moves to Minnesota to be near his aging parents, sister and niece. Roy sets up a photography studio and begins to fill the space with objects that convey the beauty and importance of a career that brought him so much joy and family. With the invention of Ebay his collection grows. His work from the 70s inspires Reed Massengil to publish a book of Roy’s male nudes and his legacy is set against the rise of the gay mens movement because Roy is photographing for magazines such as Michaels, After Dark and other men’s magazines featuring arts and culture. Roy promotes beauty and copes with the devastating loss that AIDS had on his community. Who is this person? We see him bounce around from an old person to a young person painting a picture of his life in photographs of him and also by him as documenting his journey is prevalent throughout the decades. As his niece follows in his footsteps the documentation is dramatic in the depth as Roy explains to his aging mother that her love story is going public in a book by her granddaughter and soon the son is as old as the mother and the need to get it all in feels urgent.  Portrait of an Oklahoma boy who defies the odds to follow his passion and makes his dreams come true. No kids but the niece follows him around the world. Sharing a love of people who are kind and a culture which values temples the Uncle and Niece pair are lucky as they share family values. The urgency of preservation is approaching as Roy comes to the chapter nearer the end of his life. As each decade unfolds Roy’s quest to seek a home for his collection on the history of theatrical figure skating grows more urgent and the call is picked up by his Keri whose life has been changed in the process.