As our Object Migration exhibition enters its final weeks, Proteus Gowanus is pleased to present a work-in-progress documentary about cotton, a migratory material with strong historical associations for Americans. “Cotton Road” (2012) by Laura Kissel focuses on cotton as an international agricultural commodity, following the production cycle of the material as it moves from American farms to Chinese factories and beyond. Beginning with a seed in the South Carolina soil, we accompany the cotton to China where it’s processed and made into a consumer product to be marketed worldwide. Featuring the individual workers who come in contact with the material, “Cotton Road” emphasizes the human element of globalized work in this century.

“Cotton Road” will be preceded by a classic Coronet Instructional film from 1951 entitled “An Introduction to Foreign Trade”.

Sean Hanley is the Migration film coordinator for Proteus Gowanus.