Take a tour of the current Skirball exhibition Ancient Wisdom for a Future Ecology: Trees, Time, and Technology with Emmy-nominated filmmakers and artists Tiffany Shlain and Ken Goldberg, then view a collection of their acclaimed short films. These provocative, funny, insightful, and deeply researched films explore subjects ranging from technology to tradition and Judaism.

In addition to the films they have co-written, Tiffany Shlain, the director of the two, will share two new films The Teen Brain (executive produced by Goldie Hawn) and Dendrofemonology: A Feminist History Tree Ring.

All short films presented range from 2 to 15 minutes each. 

The Tribe
Weaving together archival footage, animation, Barbie dioramas, and slam poetry, the Sundance Award–winning film The Tribe takes audiences on an electric ride through the complex history of the Jewish people—from Biblical times to present day—through the story of Barbie. (15 min)

The Making of a Mensch
This film looks at the powerful ancient Jewish teachings of Mussar through the lens of the science of character development. (10 min)

Yelp: With Apologies to Allen Ginsberg’s "Howl"
Technology can be addictive. In a tribute to Allen Ginsberg's classic 1956 poem, this short film lampoons the addictions of our generation, narrated by Peter Coyote. (4 min)

The Whole Cinemagillah
This only-screened-once-before film looks at the quintessential moments in American cinema and television and how the American Jewish story has evolved. (12 min)

Why We Love Robots
This film is an exploration of the past, present, and future of robots and why it is that humans are so fascinated with the most "human" of our technologies. (5 min)

Robots, Botox and Google Glass
Why do we keep creating technologies that make us uncomfortable? Explore how the century-old history of "The Uncanny" impacts the future of technology and design. (5 min)

The Friendship
A parody film on being “friends” with everyone on social media. (2 min)

The Teen Brain
Directed by Tiffany Shlain and executive produced by Goldie Hawn and MindUP The Teen Brain explores what's happening in the teenage brain, illuminating that teenagers are emotionally brilliant super-learners with brains that are undergoing rapid and significant remodeling and development. Based on the latest research on adolescence, and showcasing both teens and doctors and psychologists, The Teen Brain offers tools to stay balanced and navigate the powerful adolescent years. (10 min)

Dendrofemonology: A Feminist History Tree Ring
Directed by Tiffany Shlain, this film looks at the ideas in her acclaimed movable monument that was installed on the National Mall in Washington, DC, last fall and was on view in Madison Square Park this past September in New York City. (7 min)

Partners in life and frequent creative collaborators, Bay Area–based artists Tiffany Shlain and Ken Goldberg have worked together on art projects and numerous documentaries, including the Emmy-nominated series The Future Starts Here, which includes episodes “Why We Love Robots,” “Robots, Botox, and Google Glass,” and “Tech Shabbats.” They received multiple awards for their documentary short, The Tribe, “an unauthorized, unorthodox ... history of the Jewish people and the Barbie doll,” which premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and continues to be screened worldwide.

Shlain is an interdisciplinary artist whose works in film, sculpture, and performance explore ideas in feminism, neuroscience, philosophy, technology, and nature.

Goldberg is an artist and professor of engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, where he questions the boundaries between the digital and natural worlds.