The iotaCenter, a Los Angeles-based organization for the preservation and promotion of abstract film, returns to the HFA with a new compilation of classic and contemporary films that explore the idea of "visual music" in animation. The first program, drawn from archives and the personal collections of the artists themselves, harks back four decades to a moment of radical formal experimentation in America that was prompted, in many cases, by visionary and spiritual explorations. These are works that were influential in expanding the range of visual techniques available to the mainstream cinema, and they served as a catalyst for new generations of experimental animators. The second program offers a selection of works by these later generations.
KINETICA 4 was curated by Dr. William Moritz and produced by Cindy Keefer. It was supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Getty Grant Program, and the California Arts Council. The films of John and James Whitney, Pat O'Neill, and Jules Engel were preserved by the iotaCenter with grants from the National Film Preservation Foundation. OFFON was preserved by Pacific Film Archive with NFPF support.
February 1 (Saturday) 7 pm
February 2 (Sunday) 7 pm
This first program of animated works explores the tradition of spiritual "visual music" as it emerged in the 1960s and 1970s. The filmmakers in these decades expanded their imagery with new technologies, including the optical printer, video, the analog computer, and the elaborate multi-projector light show. Some of these films have not been seen for decades and have been newly preserved for this special touring program. Program length 88 min.
Films include: The Tempest (Olvey & Brown, 1967), Lumigraph Film (Oskar and Elfriede Fischinger, c. 1969), High Voltage (James Whitney, 1957), 7362 (Pat O’Neill, 1967), Sunstone (Ed Emshwiller, 1979), Lapis (James Whitney, 1966), Cycles (Jordan Belson, Stephen Beck, 1975), OFFON (Scott Bartlett, 1968), Union (Stephen Beck, 1975), Rumble (Jules Engel, 1975), Permutations (John Whitney, 1968), Cibernetik 5.3 (John Stehura, 1969), The Single Wing Turquoise Bird Film Document (1970).
February 1 (Saturday) 9 pm
February 2 (Sunday) 9 pm
This program brings together examples of "visual music" animation from the last three decades, on film and video, using both computer-animation and other techniques. This diverse group of artists has taken its inspiration from the realms of religion (The Tibetan Book of the Dead, the Hebrew alphabet), science (topography, geometry), and even such quotidian experiences as driving at night. Program length 69 min.
Film include: Tanka (David Lebrun, 1976), Stele (Robert Darroll, 1999), un albor (Dawn) (Ying Tan, 1999), Unbroken Pieces (Amy Alexander, 1996), Four Moves (Bart Vegter, 1987), Seaweed (Jeremy Rendina, 1999), Feuerhaus (Firehouse) (Baerbel Neubauer, 1998), Arapadaptor (I Feel So) (Anna Geyer, 2002), Merkaba (Sky David, 1973), Please Don’t Stop (Stephanie Maxwell, 1988), Fossils (Celia Mercer, 1999), Whisper (Secret Sauce, 1996), Full Moon Segment 2 (Paul Glabicki, 2001).
Harvard Film Archive is a division of Fine Arts Library of the Harvard College Library.
Copyright ©
2013
President and Fellows of Harvard College..