July 2010
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Archive for July, 2010

Millie Niss – Skyway

23rd July 2010 by michael
architecture | arts | community | landscape | observational | place | poetry | tribute | video


skyway
Skyway (2009, 39 MB, 1:53 min)

A couple of months before her untimely death last year Millie Niss
sent me this video –

‘I have been working for a long time on and off (mostly off) these
days on a video showing industrial ruins on the outskirts of Buffalo,
shot from an elevated highway which is scheduled to be torn down…’

I remember thinking how beautiful and evocative it was and I assumed
Millie would publish it on the Sporkworld Blog in due course.
Sadly this never happened.
The other day I came across it & asked Millie’s mother and collaborator,
Martha Deed, for permission to post it here, which she gave,
so it’s a pleasure tinged with sadness to do so.

We’re going to take a summer break now.
We’ll be back on September 20th but in the meantime we’ll leave you
with this memorial to a fine artist & a fine human being.


Sans Verre – Brad Tinmouth and Kaitlin Till-Landry

22nd July 2010 by doron
architecture | arts | audio | collaboration | documentary arts | participatory | performance | video


sacsverre
Sans Verre (2008, 7.3 MB, 1 min)

A documentation of a performance made with Lili Huston-Herterich.
By Brad Tinmouth and Kaitlin Till-Landry.


The Idea of Karen Blisset

21st July 2010 by michael
arts | conceptual | controversy | experimental | identity | performance | strange | video


The Idea of Karen Blisset
The Idea of Karen Blisset (2010, 77 MB, 1:13 min)

On the ever splendid Netbehaviour list there are all sorts of
interesting shenanigans as Karen Blisset, a fairly long time
contributor, offers to give her e mail log in to anyone who asks for it
in order to allow them to “be” her.
One of the interesting things about it is I’m not sure how
many people have actually taken up the offer ( and, of course, there’s
no way of telling)
(Go and join Netbehaviour to get the full works, it’s a warm and
welcoming place but one, nonetheless, with a tradition of robust
and interesting debate)
Anyway, one of this set of Karens contacts us
with a movie called ‘The Idea of Karen Blisset’.
I for one expected something quite fierce & in your
face but instead there’s this rather delicate & gentle &
lovely piece.
Very nice.
Interesting to see how it all unfolds…

PS 25th July
Since we posted this, another movie from ‘Karen Blisset’ appeared on the list:

The Idea of Karen Blisset
I am Karen Blisset (2010, 17 MB, 38 secs)

and, later the same day, yet more…


Two Loops – Michael Szpakowski

20th July 2010 by doron
arts | landscape | nature | observational | silent | video


loop6sec
Loop (2010, 6 MB, 6 sec, loop)

loopwatch
Watch (2010, 19 MB, 18 sec, loop)

By Michael Szpakowski.


Jacky Sawatzky – Follow Me

19th July 2010 by michael
arts | dance | experimental | performance | video


jacky_sawatzky_follow_me
Follow Me (2009, 173 MB, 7:10 min)

The first section of this piece by Jacky Sawatzky, in the library,
is one of my favourite dance video moments ever,
but the whole thing buzzes with life & ideas &
there’s a winning willingness to take risks & lack of
cynicism to it all too.
More here.


Direct Language

16th July 2010 by michael
arts | experimental | landscape | nature | observational | place | poetry | video


pink tall bike
Diect Language 5.0 (2010, 74 MB, 6:26 min)

Steven Ball has re-started his Direct Language project & this was the first piece
of the new sequence.
I think it is quite breathtaking.
It strikes me as very much in a relatively recent British experimental film tradition
where a quite austere formalism can engender the most extraordinary beauty.
There’s always the danger of a failure of nerve, the pill being quite needlessly sugared
and nothing such happens here.
Not only is it haunting & lovely, there’s food for thought here too,
the lack of glibness & the refusal to cuddle up to the viewer meaning
it sustains repeated viewing.


Versions, 2010, Oliver Laric

15th July 2010 by doron
animation | arts | audio | community | drawing | new media art | observational | politics | remix/mashup | video


versionsversions1
Versions (2010, 115 MB, 8:50 min)

By Oliver Laric.


Pink Tall Bike

14th July 2010 by michael
arts | conceptual | design | documentary odd | landscape | mobile device | performance | place | sports | strange | technology | video


pink tall bike
Pink Tall Bike (2010, 50 MB, 2:16 min)

One of those does-what-it-says-on-the-can movies.
Made by Mike Stoddard & Ryan Lynch who say:

”This is our latest creation made from free bikes and parts,
comprised of three womens’ frames, bed frame iron (front fork),
and an old ATV shock.
Filmed on the Woonsocket River Bikeway in Rhode Island. ‘

…not much to add except to say it’s very diverting &
WANT ONE!


Zach Layton – 2 videos

13th July 2010 by doron
abstract | animation | arts | design | ephemera | new media art | serial | silent | video


displacementcurves
Displacement Curves (2006, 18 MB, 25 sec.)

locustkaleidoscope
Day of the Locust (2006, 1 MB, 42 sec.)

By Zach Layton.


Old Fashioned Medicine

12th July 2010 by michael
community | education | humor | narrative | observational | performance | politics | satire | video


oldfashionedmedicine

Latest episode in Edward Picot’s splendid Dr Hairy sequence.