Filling an Experimental-shaped Hole, Part 2: Eros, Fluxus, Jacobs, VanDerBeek

 

Lately, I’ve been finding some really interesting things online
regarding film/video. I’ll start off with a choice quote by Bradley
Eros from Millenium Film Journal ("There Will Be Projections In All
Dimensions" MFJ No.43-44, 2005):

"In the field of film , and its
truly experimental branch, or rhizome perhaps, of paracinema, or
expanded cinema, this artisanal exploration of materials and machines
,and the challenge to the fixed assumptions of their proper function,
opens the parameters of what can be done with, and what can be known
about, film. (p.63)"

Before you accuse me of being a regular reader of Millenium Film
Journal (not that there’s anything wrong with that…), allow me to
link you to the excellent MORE MILK YVETTE: A Journal of the Broken
Screen blog where I found this quote, along with a really interesting
post about Fluxus films and how that relates to Eros’ work. MORE MILK
YVETTE is a fantastic blog about expanded film and video that I highly
recommend adding to your feeds. Not only is their writing really top
notch, but their focus is broad and inclusive. If something has moving
images in it, they probably will write a tasteful and smart post about
it.

Following MMY’s trail I found this bit by Stan VanDerBeek:

It is imperative that we [the world’s artists] invent a new world
language, that we invent a non-verbal international picture-language. I
propose the following:
* The establishement [sic] of audio-visual research centers, preferably on an
international scale. Thes [sic] centers to explore the existing audio-visual
hardware. The development of new image-making devices (the storage and
transfer of image materials, motion pictures, television, computers,
videotape, etc.)
* The immediate research and development of image-events and
performances in the Movie-Drom. I shall call these prototype
presentations: Movie Murals, Ethos-Cinema, Newsreel of Dreams, Feedback, Image Libraries.
* When I talk of the movie-dromes as image libraries, it is understood
that such life-theatres would use some of the coming techniques…and
thus be real communication and storage centers, that is, by satellite,
each dome could receive its image from a world wide library source,
store them and program a feedback presentation to the local community
that lived near the cneter [sic] , thsi [sic] newsreel feedback, could authentically
review the total world image ‹reality› in an hour-long show.
* Intra-communitronics,
or dialogues with other centers would be likely, and instand [sic] reference
material via transmission television and telephone would be called for
and received at 186,000 m.p.s., from anywhere in the world. Thus I call
this presentation,a newsreel of ideas, of dreams, a movie-mural. An image library, a culture de-compression chamber, a culture inter-com.

Which led me to this documentary about VanDerBeek:

VanDerBeek (check out his UBUWEB page) could sense the internet was coming! He could sense a
William Gibson nodal point coming along, a "larger system, a field of
greater perspective (…), info-faults that might be followed down to
some other kind of truth, another mode of knowing, deep within the gray
shoals of information. But only if there [is] someone there to pose the
right question." (IDORU, page 41/42)

 

Speaking of some other kind of truth and other modes of knowing,
tank.tv, one of my favorite destinations for experimental film/video,
is hosting a pretty comprehensive collection of films and videos – as
well as a growing email Q+A – by one of my favorite artists, Ken Jacobs
(I blogged a bit about his Capitalism: Child Labor a while ago ).


Q: Many filmmakers are now having their work
shown in an art gallery context rather than in the cinema. What do you
think about this shift in context and is it suitable for your work?
A: Some works could work in galleries but, other than screen size,
home-distribution is probably best. Wherever concentration is best is
best (we don’t gather in theaters to read books together). No hi-fi
beats a well-designed music hall but I like the isolation with the
music, the communing alone with the composer or performer that ‘s
possible at home. For true conviviality I suggest the sundown stroll,
great for mating, that the whole town participates in as practiced in
Sicily.