Three from Spoon

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The Ghost of You Lingers (2007, 22.9MB, 3:34)


Everything Hits At Once (2001, 17.8MB, 4:03)


Jealousy (2000, 5.5MB, 2:06)

Being objective about Spoon is hard for me. We have history.
I was way younger than I’ll admit when I bought Girls Can Tell,
upon its release.
Soon after followed a deep love for their range and growth as a band.
I watched band members come in and go out, Britt Daniel and Jim Eno
ultimately the utensil glue.
I went to shows. I screamed. I took pictures. I didn’t take video.
I tried to stay in the moments.
I still do these things. I went to a concert of theirs a few months back
and didn’t even take my camera inside.
They don’t come through my current town of residence as much, but when
they do, I’ll be there. I have every EP and 7″ single they’ve made.
It is important.

I watch these videos and I think about what it all means.
I don’t know who made any of these, which makes me an ignorant curator
and fan, but that praise isn’t the goal this time for me.
I just want to share some nice videos that mean something to me.
(Why else would I bother doing this at all?)

To follow a band, to know you wouldn’t make a documentary about them
if given the opportunity because it would forever alter your deep relationship
with who you believe them to be and what you believe their music means.
To watch, to listen as corporate radio realizes their greatness. It only took
eleven years. Twelve?
You see the videos that others make and think, okay. It is here. That’s okay.
These are better than okay.

‘Play One of Those Funky Dope Scratches!’

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freezebassrock
Freeze Bass Rock (date unknown, 0.9MB, 47 sec)

goingon
Going On (date unknown, 1.1MB, 58 sec)

Lamentably poorly filmed, but nonetheless delicious bits of
scratching from delarge.co.uk, which I think is a Brighton,
UK based visual arts &c. collective, though I could be wrong –
these guys are cool & don

Mischa Kuball – Public Square

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Mischa Kuball – Public Square (date unknown, 4.4MB, 2:41)

Do you miss the public square, the everyperson
common space? Yeah, so did Mischa Kuball. So
he made this. It’s quite fantastic. Enjoy.

Two from Monkmus & Kid Koala

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basinstblues
Basin Street Blues (2003, 11.3 MB)

fenderbender
Fender Bender (2000, 3.9 MB)

Couple of collaborations between artist & film-maker
Monkmus and turntablist Kid Koala found on the
generously-stocked-with-goodies video page of the
Ninja Tune site, these tracks are pure aural & visual delight.

Les Filmistes

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jair
Le premier idee est toujours la meilleure – Jair (2005, 2.7MB, 1 min.)

also
Les Suspense – Also (2005, 7.5 MB, 1 min.)

jim2
L

By Mica.

Cindy Sherman – Doll Clothes

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Cindy Sherman – Doll Clothes (1975, 21.2MB, 2:24)

One of Cindy Sherman’s first Super 8 films.
An excellent early view into the overtly
feminine, introspective work of the artist
that would later follow.

Two Moon July – David Byrne and Phillip Glass

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reportfromla557
David Byrne – Report from L.A. (1986, 49MB, 4:30 min.)

madrush397
Phillip Glass – Mad Rush (1986, 29MB, 3:17 min.)

Both of these pieces, although incredibly different in feel and nature, were
preformed for the “multidisciplinary event” which showcased “experimental
video, film, visual art, performance and music in a theatrical framework”.
Shot at New York City’s infamous Kitchen, and broadcast on television sets
across the states in 1986, the production “reflects a moment when art centers
were experimenting with new modes of presenting the arts for television.”
Read more and see more here.

“More fun than you can shake your stick at”

Kinetocast in autumn

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Kinetocast – To Watch In Preparation For The Deep Fall (2006, 8.5MB, 1:25)


Kinetocast – To Watch For Help Getting Through (2007, 16.9MB, 2:55)

Two more from the endlessly delightful kinetocast,
conceptual pieces about existential moments.

New York Times Special Edition – The War Is Over

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New York Times Special Edition (2008, 16.2MB, 2:12 min)

Self-explanatory movie giving background & reaction
to the day before yesterday’s visionary prank ( &
how often do you hear those two words together?)
by those visionary pranksters The Yes Men.
More here.
Breathtaking & inspiring.

Wild Combination – A Portrait of Arthur Russell

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wctrailer
A Portrait of Arthur Russell (trailer) (2008, 7MB, 2:11 min.)

“Wild Combination is Matt Wolf’s acclaimed documentary on seminal
avant-garde composer, singer-songwriter, cellist, and disco producer
Arthur Russell. Before his death in 1992, Arthur created music that
spanned both pop and the transcendent possibilities of abstract art.
The film incorporates rare archival footage and commentary from
Arthur’s family, friends, collaborators and admirers, including
Philip Glass, Allen Ginsberg, Jens Lekman, and many more.”

2 from Bernard Gigounon

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Bernard Gigounon – Looking Down (2005, 4.9MB, 2:21)


Bernard Gigounon – Rem

Nicolas Provost – Bataille

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bataille1
Bataille (clip) (2003, 1MB, 32 sec.)

“In Bataille, fragments from the Akira Kurosawa’s film Rashomon
are subject to a mirror effect. A scene in which two samurai fight
each other becomes a cosmic field of monsters where horror and
pain evoke beauty and joy.”
from Nicolas Provost.

Zach Kmiec – mmmff

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Mmmff Activities Workshop 2006: Call for entries (2006, 10.1MB, 1:58)


Mmmff Activities Workshop 2006 (2006, 13.8MB, 3:44)

Here’s the setup:
Jennifer Proctor taught a videoblogging class at the
University of Iowa in 2006. Every student set up
his/her own videoblog and made vloggy goodness.
Then, many abandoned their work, though I’d
personally expect nothing less.

While I knew one of the students in the class
(UI is one of my alma maters), a guy I didn’t
know – mmmff – caught my attention more.
Using a cell phone I’m pretty sure he just found
somewhere, Zach then made collage videos of the
five seconds or less the phone would capture in every go.

In the first video, the premise of the phone and
its limitations are introduced, and in the second
follow-up piece, the plan – to make a compilation
of activities you can do in 5 seconds or less – is executed.

It’s pretty much the opposite of boring, predictable,
talk-to-your-camera vids that litter so many hosting
services these days.
This is video functioning within constraints.
It’s also wildly hilarious.
Some of the very best random and weird videoblog
work I’ve ever seen.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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Seth Brau – The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (2008, 18.1MB, 4:31)

Really lovely piece of moving typology from
Seth Brau of the Human Rights Action Center.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
turns 60 this year. Read the full text here.
Music from Rumspringa.
Video via Osocio

Sharon Hayes – Symbionese Liberation Army Screeds #13, 16, 20 & 29

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Sharon Hayes – Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) Screeds #13, 16, 20 & 29 (2002, 7.4MB, 2:49)

Between 2001 and 2002, artist Sharon Hayes
reenacted four tapes from the SLA Patty Hearst
abduction in 1974. These respeakings were
performed before an audience, mostly memorized,
but the audience was instructed to correct or feed
Hayes a line when she made a mistake.
Entertaining, reflective, and somewhat moving.
A real treat whether you lived through the original
events or not.

Voting

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voting
Voting (2008, 37.2MB, 13:37)

I know we featured the folks at Sporkworld only recently
but they just posted this and it’s wonderful
– & somewhat topical…
Watch it all – it’s deadly serious but Millie Niss
makes her points with the kind of comic timing
many would kill for.

What Is – The Cupcake – or – King of the Hill

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What Is – The Cupcake – or – King of the Hill (2005, 11.1MB, 2:58)

Very funny war film spoof from defunct vlog What Is.

LSD Spell – John Michael Boling

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lsdspell1
LSD Spell (2008, 560kb, 30 sec.)

“video banner created for Art Fag City’s masthead ”
by John Michael Boling.

Will Luers – Commute

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Will Luers – Commute (unnamed one of eight) (2001, 3.6MB, 1:00)


Will Luers – Commute (unnamed one of eight) (2001, 3.5MB, 1:00)

I set myself the task of recording the same route
to work (Brooklyn-Manhattan) eight different
mornings from winter through spring. Each
segment was edited to exactly 60 seconds.
The linear and cylical experience of the urban
commuter lends itself to the database structure.

Will Luers, also known as Taylor Street Studios and
various projects under the name SolubleFish, has a
great history of making web video. Sometimes artists
are a little miffed when we post their older work, but
I think respecting your own history is important.
Luers’s work is no different. This piece from 2001
might seem obvious in 2008, when taping your
commute seems pedestrian (hah) and obvious.
But these vignettes – eight in total – are a lovely
reflection on repetition, routine, and subtle change.

Xologola – Michael Robinson

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Xologola (2007, 49.3MB, 1:18 min)

DeK, from no fat clips!!!, recommends this piece by Michael Robinson
with sound by Bish.
It’s undeniably skilfully made & pretty though I can’t help wishing
more happened.
There’s a moment, about 1:06, where we seem to be gearing up
for some visible variation in tempo & geometry but the moment
passes & the piece ends.
Nonetheless one can’t help but admire the process:
… made up of scans and pictures of branches,
broken and scratched glass, and digitally painted textures…

Simon’s Cat

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Simon’s Cat – “TV Dinner” (2008, 8.8MB, 2:35)

Award-winning sketch (Best Comedy at British
Animation Awards), of the several available,
this is my favorite video. Each is equally
endearing, and I’m particularly fond of the
amusing vocals.
From London’s Tandem Films

Recent work from Paul Kelly

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The Video Artist (2004-8, 15.5MB, 1:19 min)


Corporate Flag (2008, 47.2MB, 4:06 min)


Narrative (2008, 19.9MB, 1:35 min)

We’ve featured a number of pieces by Paul Kelly
in the last year, although in terms of their date of
making they stretch over some 4 years.
Looking back it seems to me there’s a very striking
sense of development.
The language and technique here is leaner, tougher
& more focussed, though without any loss of the
delight in the beauty & mystery of the everyday
that is a keynote of all the work.
As a little aside I know Paul has been making stuff
for Brittany (of this manor) & Andreas’s
Lumi

Dan Osborne’s Investigations

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Investigations (2008, 40.1MB, 2:05 min)

Perfect piece of film making by Dan Osborne.
Interesting to compare it to the piece by him we posted
earlier this year.
There’s a lot in common, true, but what strikes me is both the
real elegance & the very precise focus of this new piece.
In contrast with the (admittedly very attractive) sprawl of
the earlier work there is not a second here that doesn’t feel
purposeful & controlled.
Interesting to see how this body of work develops.

Ari Marcopoulos – Claremont

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Ari Macopoulos – Claremont (2008, 50.5MB, 10:44)

Okay, this requires some breakdown and explanation.
So Adam Kimmel is an NYC men’s wear designer. This
video is a promo for his Spring 2009 line. And you’re
thinking, what does this have to do with video art or
conceptual cinema or animation? Right. Well, not much.

But what it does have to do with is the Internet. The way
that now, we get to see things we didn’t five years ago.
Five years ago, this video would have been shown at some
runway event that few to none of us would ever fathom
attending – not that they’d let us in the door. And I’m not
worried about that. But I am worried about not seeing great
video. And that changed.

So now, you can watch this insane video of two skater guys –
yes, in Adam Kimmel suits, that’s the point – ride down wild
hills, dodging cars, in southern California. It isn’t that this
has superior quality – the first two minutes are a little dry –
and it doesn’t say anything meaningful about the evolution
of digital video, though they did make an HD version, if that
sort of thing interests you. But you get to see it, and you
probably wouldn’t get this point of view unless you’re a
gifted skater in our midst and we had no idea. It would also
be tacky to hate on this kind of video because the skill of
skating, filming, and not wiping out is something laudable
on its own. This kind of extreme boarding? Well, it clearly
struck a chord with me. No one makes this video for a film
festival, and if they did, it wouldn’t be like this. The Internet
is the natural home for this sort of piece. I’m just saying that
I’m glad the house was built.

Video by Ari Macopoulos.

the whether|man

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wheatherman11
10_10_07 (2007, 8MB, 1:16 min.)

From Astoria, Queens, it’s the whether|man.
More vids here..

Muto by BLU

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BLU – Muto (2008, 30.7MB, 6:54)

Fairly surreal wall painted graffiti animation from BLU,
shot in Baden and Buenos Aires over the past two years.
Always pleasing to see street art legitimized, this piece is
particularly fun and feels much shorter than its run time.

Kurt Ralske – Alphaville

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Alphaville ( extract) (2008, 32.MB, 51 secs)

Rather fetching art-work-over of Godard’s
great film Alphaville, by Kurt Ralske.

Laric – 50 50, 50 50 2008

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Oliver Laric – 50 50 (2007, 12.1MB, 2:06)

Oliver Laric has really grown on us over time.
In 2007, he mashed up fifty YouTube videos of
random kids lip-syncing (or really singing, sort of)
to “In Da Club,” “Candy Shop,” and “How We Do”
by the American rap artist (artist?) 50 Cent,
leaving them in their original YouTube format.
Also keep in mind that “In Da Club” is around five
years old by now. I guess the youth know what they
like, though it’s worth noting these songs are generally
foul and offensive at best. Nevertheless, due to what I’m
calling the constant influx of amateur 50 Cent covers onto
YouTube, Laric decided that he had to make a follow-up
video, 50 50 2008, seen below.


Oliver Laric – 50 50 2008 (2008, 10MB, 2:07)

Just

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Radiohead – Just (1995, 11MB, 4:05)

Arguably one of the , and
certainly one of the formative videos of my youth.
It never gets old or feels cliched, no matter what is
made today of new weight and relevance.
Video directed James Thraves.

Sondheim – Swirl

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Swirl (2008, 21MB, 1:05 min)

Regular visitors will be aware of how little excuse we need
to post work from the formidable Alan Sondheim.
So…it’s Wednesday… – here’s one of his recent Second Life
pieces.
His accompanying text appears below.

Jennifer and Julu: Clean yourselves, you dirty boys!
Jennifer and Julu: Clean yourselves, you dirty girls!
Julu: Hello Nikuko, you are looking wonderful this very morning.
Nikuko: Hello Julu, why you are looking odd I do think!
Julu: And my leg too hanging by a thread! Nikuko, where are you?
Nikuko: Oh dear you are half-blind Julu!
Julu: And you are All-Blind-Nikuko!
Julu: Can you see anything here? Can you see anything at all?
Nikuko: I hear your voice!
Nikuko: You do not, Julu, you do not have anything!
Julu: Maud, you must move slightly to your left, thank you.
Julu: Maud, you are not looking properly or you would move!
Nikuko: I am looking just fine, thank you!
Nikuko: I am so, I’m trying as hard as you are!
Julu: Adjust yourself!
Julu: You are adjusting yourself in a very wrong way!
Julu: It is 10:30 and you have just lost your head!
Nikuko: Ha ha ha I have lost my head over you!
Julu: And hello Nikuko, and how are you?
Nikuko: Now we will Swirl and Change.