Posted in Exhibitions, Experimental film, Experimental video, Multimedia, Thinking, Watching on February 5, 2012 |
My short film, “American Arabesque” will have its first public screening in Berlin at Directors Lounge 8. The screening takes place on Saturday February 11 at 10pm.
Directors Lounge has previously screened “A season of wants” Embarkation” at DL 6 2010 and “Winter wind” and “The sick passenger” at DL 7 in 2011.
Posted in Experimental film, Experimental video, NYFF 11 Views from the Avant Garde, tagged Jerome Hiler, Nathaniel Dorsky, NYFF 2011, The Return, Views from the Avant Garde, Words of Mercury on October 20, 2011 |
I was glad that this program allowed extended time with both Mr Hiler and Mr Dorsky. Coming in to this afternoon’s screening my own tastes limited my appreciation for work like this. However getting to understand the film makers as people and artists allowed me another way of approaching the work. Mr Hiler’s simple enjoyment of movie making and the articulate and accessible Mr Dorsky made me fans of these artists. I will need to spend more time with their work and Mr. Dorsky’s book “Devotional Cinema”.
Words of Mercury, Jerome Hiler, U.S., 2011, 25m
The Return, Nathaniel Dorsky, U.S., 2011, 27m
Posted in Experimental film, Experimental video, NYFF 11 Views from the Avant Garde, tagged April Simmons, Baptismal Sticks and Stones, Devil's Gate, Eléonore de Montesquiou, Gazette, Janie Geiser, Josh Gibson, Kudzu Vine, Laura Kraning, Leslie Thornton, NYFF 2011, Ricky, Silent Springs Erin Espelie, Twice Removed, Views from the Avant Garde Day, VIRGIN SPRINGS on October 15, 2011 |
I am at the half way point of my Festival viewing. Six screenings down and after this there will be six more to go. I did not use my tickets to the screenings of Messers Eisenberg and Everson on Saturday as some family commitments required me to be elsewhere. I also bought a ticket to The Red and the Black screening which means I will pass on seeing Mr. Benning’s work again.
I have included links to the artists sites or galleries where I could find them. I’ll go back over time and add links to the prior posts.
Again these are my viewing observations.
Baptismal Sticks and Stones, April Simmons, U.S., 2011, 6m 50s
A spooky little dreamlike film of child voiced whispers in a mix of innocence and a touch of menace.
Devil’s Gate, Laura Kraning, U.S., 2011, 20m
Weaving the tales of Jack Parsons, Devil’s Gate Dam and California wildfires – this was really well done. An imaginative approach to the storytelling with the three narratives balancing and complimenting each other over 20 minutes.
Twice Removed, Leslie Thornton, U.S., 2011, 9m
Ms. Thorton’s work appealed to me more in the amphitheater where another similar work was showing. It seemed more observational and made me want to look. The spectacle version in the Walter Reade seemed forced particularly with the soundtrack.
Ricky, Janie Geiser, U.S., 2011, 11m
I wanted to go out and make something after seeing this! Ms, Geiser’s work is magical and inspiring. I was glad to be able to find clips that she has posted to YouTube of her other films so I could linger over her work in an extended way.
Silent Springs, Erin Espelie, U.S., 2011, 12m 57s
In this film, Ms. Espelie seemed to be on an assignment – tugging us in the three directions of her professional practice: documentary, advocacy and experimental. I came away feeling that the scales tipped to documentary and advocacy in this one.
Gazette, Eléonore de Montesquiou, Russia/Estonia, 2009, 4m 12s
A charming and reductive view of consumer publishing in the old Soviet Union. Ms. de Montesquiou is an artist who I will seek out. I think the material and subject matter she is working with is as interesting as her approach.
Kudzu Vine, Josh Gibson, U.S., 2011, 19.52m
Apologies to Mr. Gibson, I left before seeing his film.
Posted in Experimental film, Experimental video, NYFF 11 Views from the Avant Garde, tagged A Lax Riddle Unit, Bobby Abate, By foot-candle light, Dani Leventhal, Fern Silva, from Jhana and the Rats of James Olds, Gossip Bobby Abate, Laida Lertxundi, Line Describing Your Mom, LOOKING THROUGH A GLASS ONION, Mary Helena Clark, Michael Robinson, NYFF 2011, Passage Upon the Plume, Peter Mays, Shayne’s Rectangle, Sounding Glass, Sylvia Schedelbauer, Tatum’s Ghost, The Death of the Gorilla, The Evil Eyes, Views from the Avant Garde on October 14, 2011 |
In the comments prior to screening Mr. McEllhatten discussed reviewing some of these as works “in progress” during the selection process and giving the impression that some still may be less than “done” evolving. Added to this screening was a rough mix of film/video changes that needed start/stop/restart. a reminder of the experimental nature of the program and that a state of the art facility can succumb to the human touch.
This also makes 42 works in the last four screenings, so I hope the artists and curators appreciate that at this point the program elements start to blur and my notes may need some further review.
Passage Upon the Plume, Fern Silva, U.S., 2011, 6m 46s
Problems with projecting this moved it to the end of the screening session. Mr. Silva’s contribution was more of sketch of work that fell out of another project. I appreciated the idea of the fragment of film, taken as is.
Shayne’s Rectangle, Dani Leventhal, U.S., 2011, 5m 4s
This will be the third piece of Ms. Leventahl to screened as part of the 4 day program and the 5th work of hers I have seen over the two festivals 10 and 11. I am ready to spend time for a deeper dive in to more of her work.
Line Describing Your Mom, Michael Robinson, U.S., 2011, 5m 50s
I struggled with this one.
from Jhana and the Rats of James Olds: Stephanie Barber
Tatum’s Ghost, 3m 45s
A mash-up of YouTube comments and an episode of Unsolved Mysteries provides an unlikely combination of hi and low brow interactions – a document or indcitment of UGC culture?
The Death of the Gorilla, Peter Mays, U.S., 1966, 16m (new restoration by the Academy Film Archive)
The most complex visually of the films on this program. Blown away that this was done all in camera. An early counterpoint to TV culture as expressed in Ms. Barber’s Tatum’s Ghost.
By foot-candle light, Mary Helena Clark, U.S., 2011, 9m
I was glad to be able to find this online at Vimeo as I have lost my last page of notes for this program and my memory of this was thin.
A Lax Riddle Unit, Laida Lertxundi, Spain, 2011, 6m
From what was said at the beginning of the session Ms. Lertxundi was one on the films described as accepted for the festival while still in progress of being made. Continuation of previous work or personal formula? Female + old song.
Sounding Glass, Sylvia Schedelbauer, Germany, 2011, 7m
Apologies to Ms. Schedelbauer, I stepped out of the theater during this video.
Gossip, Bobby Abate, U.S., 2011, 8m 19s
The Evil Eyes, Bobby Abate, U.S., 2010, 18m
With two pieces on the schedule Mr. Abate dominated this program with 27 of 89 minutes. The production effort that went into these put Mr. Abate at interesting juncture of too professional for experimental or too experimental for mainstream. Gossip was one film that will linger with me for some time. I would like to see both Love rose and Gossip in one program. The Evil Eyes brought back memories of the referenced Dark Shadows. Hope to more episodes like this from Mr. Abate.
Exhibitions
Directors Lounge 8
Nightlight
One minute Vol 5, Feb 15, 9pm
Publication
Empire City
Book, print and 3 video works on DVD
Limited edition of 50
Signed and numbered
Published by Peter Hay Halpert Fine Art
Oct 2011
(ISBN 978-0-9839698-0-8)
Comin' around again
Limited Edition Book and Print
Published by Peter Hay Halpert Fine Art
April 2010
(ISBN 978-0-615-35269-5)
