Monthly Archives: May 2012

Bonnie Prince Billy/Ben Berman –I See a Darkness

Posted on by

I See a Darkness
I See a Darkness (2012, 32MB, 2:40 min)

Bonnie Prince Billy/Will Oldham has a way of generating interesting things
around his core business of making extraordinary music.
In a similar way to that of Ornette Coleman, his album artwork always
contains many little explosions of visual pleasure and neither is it devoid of
food for thought.
This is also true of the videos he commissions to accompany his music.
We’ve posted some of these before , including a deliciously bizarre
one from Harmony Korine.
This is one of my favourites to date. Made by Ben Berman, it involves
Oldham lolloping around the streets of Glasgow in a way that in real
life would have me crossing the road toot sweet.
I’m an Oldham fan. If I had to put my finger on one of the things
that lifts him so far from the ordinary it would be a confidence in his
work so great (or maybe better, simply an integrity to it and to his art),
that he can encompass within it and place around it things of utter
ridiculousness without undermining it, indeed, whilst rendering it the more potent.
This is not to downplay the role of Berman in this. He is clearly a significant
talent and a fine co-conspirator for Oldham.

Curt Cloninger & A Bill Miller – sliveRider

Posted on by

sliveRider
sliveRider (2012, 316MB, 5:26 min)

From: Curt Cloninger
To: Michael Szpakowski
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 4:21 PM

A video collaboration between A. Bill Miller and Curt Cloninger.
Audio by Low. Bill and Curt swapped files back and forth until the
person receiving the file felt it was finished. Links to the video
files in progress are included.

I’ve been reading Deleuze on Leibniz about the Baroque fold, and
this project seems like we were folding video. Like cooking, folding
in ingredients. The trace of each iteration is discernible, baked
into the final fold. Not so much cutting, fading, layering, moshing,
or even remixing (although there is some “databending”).

Hope you are doing well over there,
Curt

On Sunday, May 20, 2012, Michael Szpakowski wrote:

This is quite, quite enchanting.
Do either of you have any objection to me doing a DVblog post on it?
thanks!
Michael

At 8:28 AM -0400 5/20/12,
a bill miller wrote:
Fine with me!
bill

Thanks Michael,
Yes, please do.
Best,
Curt

White Glove Tracking

Posted on by


White Glove Tracking (2007, 45.5MB, 7:34)

At a televised special in March 1983, Michael Jackson
debuted what would later become known as his
signature Moonwalk. He wore a shiny jacket,
cuffed pants, and a sparkling little white glove
while gyrating around the stage. It’s nearly
impossible to deny the brilliance of Billy Jean,
and there it was – in some kind of larger than
life, glittery manifestation of the zeitgeist.
All very exciting, no?
But tracking Jacko’s glove – this collection of videos
known under the umbrella White Glove Tracking –
is an unparalleled feat, as are the resulting
remixes. 10,060 frames were tracked, the
data was collectively gathered, and all of the
source code was made available online.
Coding ensued. Here are the highlights so far.

Dawid Krępski & Jason Chiu – Fall into Light

Posted on by

Fall into Light
Fall into Light (2012, 209MB, 3:57 min)

For about the first twenty seconds I didn’t think I was going to like
this music video by Dawid Krępski & Jason Chiu, or at least that I
would remain easily indifferent and unmoved.

Then, ..well.. , it’s a slow burn but it gently explodes, if that’s not too
much of an oxymoron, into something fertile and strange that won’t let
go of you.
I don’t think there probably is a narrative but, as you watch, the piece
fools you into believing there is, one straight from a fever dream.
Great.

Credits:
Song: Beca – Fall into Light
Directed: Dawid Krępski & Jason Chiu

Actors: Kelsey Peterson, Fred Geyer
D.O.P: Dawid Krępski & Jason Chiu

Edit: Dawid Krępski
Special thanks: Magdalena Gaca, Michael McKeogh