The Idea of Karen Blisset

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

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

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

By Michael Szpakowski.

Jacky Sawatzky – Follow Me

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

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

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

By Oliver Laric.

Pink Tall Bike

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

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

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

By Zach Layton.

Old Fashioned Medicine

oldfashionedmedicine

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

More from Rob Parrish/Hopper Video

Vampire Sun
Vampire Sun (2004, 13.7MB, 2:41 min.)

Vertigo Essay

Stuff from 2005 from Rob Parrish at Hopper Video.
Couldn’t be more packed to the gills, these movies,
with formal invention. Torn between admiration &
extreme irritation at the Edvard Grieg vocoder.
Not sure it all entirely comes off but it’s
to be commended, as is the fact that
serious thinking is clearly at work here.
Better than timidity, for sure.
(HV still going strong & well worth checking out.
We’ll revisit ourselves, I think, in the Autumn.)

molotov_alva