An intimate, private search for the form, “The Rock” by Étienne de Massy explores both geometry and perception, as in the search for a comparison point between nature’s and human landscape. This portrait of the form is, nonetheless, arbitrary and self-referenced; reminding both the experimental documentary and some sort of indirect, fictional self-portrait.

As the author states: “Filmed in Europe and America, The Rock establishes a link (physical, imaginary, natural and cultural) between different places around the World. It reveals in images a possible relationship between spaces and landscapes.”

One of the strongest notions in modernity and postmodernity is the idea of confinement. The velocity sensation and the apparent mobility given by transportation are nothing but reminders of a non existent destination.

One of the fundational classics of video-art (and mainly of the big format video-art), Island Song (1976) shows the possibility, arbitrarily and almost accidentaly, of a converging space for the live performance and the documentary.

Directed by Matt Lambert in the context of a fashion brand, “Umasan In Transition” is a powerful combination of meticulous choreography and vibrant edition. The story line is beautifuly consistant with the sense of progression and evolution pursued by the film.

Produced by Stink Berlin for Umasan.

(Source: videoartdeviations)

A small preview of the Pipilotti Rist retrospective “Eyeball Massage”, now being exhibited at the Southbank Centre, London (28 september 2011 - 8 january 2012).

Pipilotti Rist (Grabs, Switzerland; 1962) is one of the definitive and must influential contemporary artistes in video-art. Her installations are usually audience focused immersive experiences.

(Source: videoartdeviations)

Ghost at n.9

William S. Burroughs & Brion Gysin lived together at “The Beat Hotel” in Paris. During this period of 1958, Gysin shared with Burroughs the “Cut Up” technique, consisting in aligning paper foldings one over another, then cut random lines over them and reagruping the resulting “pieces” in random or prefigured structures. Burroughs used this techinique since that day to produce either complete novels (as in “Interzone”) or to produce “routines” -as he called the chapters on several of his novels- (as in “The Naked Lunch” or “The White Subway”).

This experimental film by the english director Antony Balch was postumously released after his death and was part of a bigger project he designed with Burroughs as a documentary. The film was deeply influenced by the cut up technique (both on the film editing and on the sound editing) and shows several moments of the work of Gysin and Burroughs at “The Beat Hotel”, as well as several sequences of both artistes “acting” for the film.

This is the full version released.

(Source: videoartdeviations)

Joan Jonas (born in NYC, 1936) brought to video art and video performance the very foundation of its meaning. Her works are as influential as politically compromised, being particularly groundbreaking when it comes to electronic arts and gender prospective.

Vertical Roll (1972) uses a common early television bug (the vertical roll, due to a misconfiguration on the vertical balance of the receptor) to place a question about the construction of the image and, particularly, of the female body; a recurring subject in her work.

Eran Hilelli (Tel Aviv, 1981) is a graduate from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design.

Between Bears (2010) is a beautiful combination of minimalism, 3d and vectorial animation. Although there’s a minimum amount of narrative, the final result is as compelling as meaningful. It was Hilelli’s graduation film and won the first price in the animation category of the Vimeo’s first film festival.

Pipilotti Rist (Grabs, Switzerland; 1962) is one of the definitive contemporary artistes in video-art.

“I’m Not The Girl Who Misses Much” (1986) is, perhaps, the first piece of Mrs. Rist that gives a clear example of mixture between performance and video art in the same package. It is also a powerful post-modern statement for the deconstruction of the image and its meaning through a rough editing and the manipulation of the chosen soundtrack.