Spring with Rose Lowder

Date: 14 March 2004 | Season: Miscellaneous

SPRING WITH ROSE LOWDER
Sunday 14 March 2004, at 2pm
London Tate Britain Clore Auditorium

Rose Lowder will present a selection of her films from the 1970s to the present day. Lowder’s ecological style portrays nature in a unique manner, with each film meticulously constructed by individually composing and exposing every single frame. In projection, condensed clusters of images form a retinal collage of spatial and temporal impressions. This programme mixes early works such as Parcelle (1979) and Les Tournesols (1982) with selections from the ongoing series of Bouquets (1994-present) and other recent films shown for the first time in the UK.

Rose Lowder, Champ Provençale, 1979, colour, silent, 9 min
Rose Lowder, Parcelle, 1979, colour, silent, 3 min
Rose Lowder, Les Tournesols, 1982, colour, silent, 3 min
Rose Lowder, Les Tournesols Colorés, 1983, colour, silent, 3 min
Rose Lowder, Roulement, Rouerie, Aubage, 1978) b/w & colour, silent, 15 min
Rose Lowder, Quiproquo, 1992, colour, sound, 13 min
Rose Lowder, Les Coquelicots, 2000, colour, silent, 3 min (18fps)
Rose Lowder, Bouquets 21-27, 2001-03, colour, silent, 10 min (18fps)

After studying painting and sculpture in artists’ studios and art school in Lima and London, Rose Lowder pursued her artistic practice while working as an editor in the film industry. From 1977 onwards, her research concentrated on the visual aspect of the cinematographic process. A co-founder of Les Archives du film expérimental d’Avignon (AFEA), a film and document collection, Lowder is currently associate professor at the Sorbonne.

PROGRAMME NOTES

Gregory Markopoulos

Date: 16 April 2004 | Season: Gregory Markopoulos 2004 | Tags: ,

GREGORY J. MARKOPOULOS
16-21 April 2004
London National Film Theatre

GREGORY J. MARKOPOULOS
Towards The Temenos: Myth, Portraiture and Films of Place

Gregory Markopoulos was the archetypal personal filmmaker: an accomplished technician, masterful editor and consummate perfectionist, who created great works of art with a minimum of means. A contemporary of Kenneth Anger, Stan Brakhage and Maya Deren, he was a major figure of the New American Cinema, the post-war movement that developed a new, visionary approach to film.

Markopoulos regarded cinema as “a supreme art in a dark age”. His films illuminate literature, portraiture and architecture, shaping a modern mythology that owes more to European traditions of art-making than the Hollywood culture of commercial cinema. As a formal innovator, he developed rapid editing techniques which cut through time and space, shaping new narrative forms through a “fusion of classic montage with a more abstract system”.

Such a progressive approach to cinema, and the belief in its ability to convey thought and emotion, was grounded in an appreciation of early masters such as von Stroheim and von Sternberg, and a strong, personal commitment to developing the medium beyond its basic use in the narrative sense. Driven by a purity of vision that transcended cinematic conventions, Markopoulos’ sensual and poetic films shimmer with colour and resonate with passion.

This NFT retrospective, centred on key works of the 60s, is the first opportunity in decades to see a selection of Markopoulos’ work in the UK, and shows the filmmaker during his most visible and influential period. After moving to Europe in 1967, he withdrew all of his films from distribution, citing frustration with inadequate projection facilities and unappreciative audiences. Many subsequent films were completed but never shown, as Markopoulos conceived of the Temenos as the ideal site for a spectator’s quest. In this chosen place, the films may elevate the audience’s sense of time while emotionally and physically connecting them to the mythic themes and locations.

He died in 1992, shortly after final editing of the monumental Eniaios, which comprises of 22 cycles totalling over 80 hours of viewing time. This epic work combines radically re-edited versions of all his previous works, and many unseen films, into a single, unified whole. Filmmaker Robert Beavers has established the Temenos Association for the preservation, study and promotion of Markopoulos’ total vision, including his films, journals, letters and collected writings. This NFT season precedes the premiere of the first cycles of Eniaios, to be projected outdoors in the Greek countryside in late June.

www.the-temenos.org

LITERATURE AND MYTH: Fri 16 & Sun 18 Apr 2004
Swain and Twice a Man, two interpretations of classic literature that show a unique command of film language.

FILMS OF PLACE: Sat 17 & Mon 19 Apr 2004
Ming Green, Sorrows and Gammelion. Elegant portraits of architecture and interiors.

THE ILLIAC PASSION: Sat 17 & Tue 20 Apr 2004
The Illiac Passion, an underground interpretation of ‘Prometheus Unbound’, plus Bliss, a study of a small Greek church.

PORTRAITURE: Sun 18 & Wed 21 Apr 2004
Galaxie and Saint Actaeon. Portraits of the artistic community forming a who’s who of the 60s art world.

Markopoulos season curated by Mark Webber for NFT and LUX, in collaboration with Temenos Association. Supported by Greece In London 2004 / The Hellenic Foundation for Culture, UK. With thanks to Robert Beavers, Dr Victoria Solomides and Österreichisches Filmmuseum.

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Films of Place

Date: 17 April 2004 | Season: Gregory Markopoulos 2004 | Tags: ,

FILMS OF PLACE
Sat 17 April 2004, at 6.20pm
London National Film Theatre NFT2

Markopoulos created many impressions of buildings and places, making in-camera dissolves and superimpositions without any subsequent editing. Ming Green, a portrait of his humble apartment, painted the colour of the title, was made shortly before his departure from New York, while Sorrows was shot at the house in Switzerland built for Wagner by King Ludwig II. Gammelion is a measured and romantic portrayal of an Italian castle, extending seven minutes of photographed ‘film phrases’ with hundreds of fades in and out.

Gregory Markopoulos, Ming Green, USA, 1966, 7 min
Gregory Markopoulos, Gammelion, Italy, 1968, 54 min
Gregory Markopoulos, Sorrows, Switzerland, 1969, 6 min

The programme will be introduced by Robert Beavers, filmmaker and director of Temenos Inc.

Also Screening: Monday 19 April 2004, at 8.40pm, NFT2

PROGRAMME NOTES

The Illiac Passion

Date: 17 April 2004 | Season: Gregory Markopoulos 2004 | Tags: ,

THE ILLIAC PASSION
Sat 17 April 2004, at 8.40pm
London National Film Theatre NFT2

Throughout his life, Markopoulos remained closely connected to his family background, and ultimately saw the Greek landscape as the ideal setting for viewing his films. The Illiac Passion, one of his most highly acclaimed works, is a visionary interpretation of ‘Prometheus Bound’ starring mythical beings from the 60s underground including Andy Warhol, Jack Smith and Taylor Mead. The soundtrack of this contemporary re-imagining of the classical realm features a reading of Thoreau’s translation of the Aeschylus text and excerpts from Bartók. The preceding film, Bliss,is a brief study of a church on the island of Hydra.

Gregory Markopoulos, Bliss, Greece, 1967, 6 min
Gregory Markopoulos, The Illiac Passion, USA, 1967, 92 min

The programme will be introduced by Robert Beavers, filmmaker and director of Temenos Inc.

Also Screening: Tuesday 20 April 2004, at 6.20pm, NFT2

PROGRAMME NOTES

Portraiture

Date: 18 April 2004 | Season: Gregory Markopoulos 2004 | Tags: ,

PORTRAITURE
Sunday 18 April 2004, at 6.20pm
London National Film Theatre NFT2

Galaxie consists of thirty-three portraits of important figures from the art world, including painters, poets, critics, filmmakers, and choreographers. Each is shot with a single roll of 16mm film and though edited entirely in-camera, often comprises of many layers of dense superimposition. The subjects were invited to pose in their home, together with objects chosen by them as symbolic extensions of their personality. Saint Actaeon is a rhythmic portrait of historian and aesthete Sir Harold Acton, shot in the gardens of his family villa.

Gregory Markopoulos, Galaxie, USA, 1966, 92 min
Gregory Markopoulos, Saint Actaeon, Italy, 1971, 12 min

The programme will be introduced by Robert Beavers, filmmaker and director of Temenos Inc.

Also Screening: Wednesday 21 April 2004, at 6.20pm, NFT2

PROGRAMME NOTES

Ride the Light

Date: 11 September 2004 | Season: Expanded Cinema 2004 | Tags: ,

EXPANDED CINEMA: RIDE THE LIGHT
Saturday 11 September 2004, at 3pm
Dortmund PhoenixHalle

Recoder & Gibson, Ride the Light, 2004, c.60 min, multi-projection performance
Working individually and in collaboration as presstapes, Luis Recoder and Sandra Gibson explore the canvas of the filmstrip with the medium of light, manipulating both exposure and projection. For part of this performance, a regular power switch will be used to manually flicker, strobe, and flash forth a unique cinematic phenomenon.

Recoder & Gibson, Fourfold, 2001-04, c.7 min, 4 projector performance
Recoder & Gibson, Color Test, 2003, 5 min, 3 projector performance
Recoder & Gibson, Override, 2004, c.9 min, 2 projector performance
Recoder & Gibson, Ribbon, 2003, 6 min, 4 projector performance
Recoder & Gibson, Alignments for Linea, 2002-04, c.19 min, 2 projector performance

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Nathaniel Dorsky European Tour

Date: 13 October 2004 | Season: Nathaniel Dorsky | Tags:

NATHANIEL DORSKY EUROPEAN TOUR
13 October—15 November 2004

European Tour

As an antidote to the frenetic pace and complexity of modern life, Nathaniel Dorsky’s films invite an an audience to connect at a precious level of intimacy, nourishing the mind and spirit. With films assembled in an almost selfless way, the viewer is given the freedom to express oneself more fully, rather than be consciously absorbed in the projections of another person. ‘In these films the audience is the central character and, hopefully, the screen your best friend.’

The films are photographed, non-narrative and have none of the visual trickery we might associate with the ‘avant-garde’. Dorsky’s camera is drawn towards those transient moments of wonder that often pass unnoticed in daily life: the jewelled refraction of sunlight on water, reflections from windows and dappled shadows cast along the ground. His iridescent cinematography is arranged in carefully montaged phrases that remain entirely open to the viewer’s personal interpretation; no heavily coded meanings and subtexts are imposed through associations in the editing. The world floods through the lens, onto the screen and into our minds.

Dorsky approaches each film as though it is a song, weaving together lyrical statements in a rhythmic cadence. His work achieves a sensitive balance between humanity, nature and the ethereal, creating space for private reflection. The screenings in Autumn 2004 showcase his new film Threnody, ‘an offering to a friend who has died’, and will include readings from his recently published book Devotional Cinema (Tuumba Press, 2003).

Nathaniel Dorsky lives in San Francisco, where he makes a living as a professional ‘film doctor’, editing documentaries that often appear on American public television and the festival circuit. In 1967 he won an Emmy award for his photographic work on the CBS production Gaugin in Tahiti: Search for Paradise. He has been making personal films since 1964, and his works are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (New York), Pacific Film Archives (Berkeley), Image Forum (Tokyo) and Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris). It is widely acknowledged that the ‘most beautiful image’ sequence – a plastic bag floating in the wind – from the Oscar winning feature American Beauty was directly inspired by a similar shot from Dorsky’s film Variations.

Mark Webber

Nathaniel Dorsky: European Tour

13 October 2004, 8pm
Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
THRENODY, 2004, colour, silent, 20 mins
ALAYA, 1976-87, colour, silent, 28 mins
THE VISITATION, 2002, colour, silent, 18 mins

15 October 2004, 8pm
Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
VARIATIONS , 1992-98, colour, silent, 24 mins
ARBOR VITAE, 1999-2000, colour, silent, 28 mins
LOVE’S REFRAIN, 2000-01, colour, silent, 23 mins

21 October 2004, 6pm
Filmpodium, Zurich, Switzerland
THRENODY, 2004, colour, silent, 20 mins
ALAYA, 1976-87, colour, silent, 28 mins
THE VISITATION, 2002, colour, silent, 18 mins

31 October 2004, 4pm
London Film Festival, NFT, London, England
Devotional Cinema: A Lecture Screening
THRENODY, 2004, colour, silent, 20 mins
VARIATIONS , 1992-98, colour, silent, 24 mins
+ lecture and reading

SPECIAL EVENT: JEROME HILER
8 November 2004, 7pm
Lux Salon, London, England
An extremely rare screening of films presented by Jerome Hiler, including new and previously unseen works. 

9 November 2004, 6:30pm
Tate Modern, London, England
THE VISITATION, 2002, colour, silent, 18 mins
ALAYA, 1976-87, colour, silent, 28 mins
ARBOR VITAE, 1999-2000, colour, silent, 28 mins

11-15 November 2004
OpFilm, de Balie, Amsterdam, Netherlands
THRENODY, 2004, colour, silent, 20 mins
ALAYA, 1976-87, colour, silent, 28 mins
THE VISITATION, 2002, colour, silent, 18 mins

European tour co-ordinated by Mark Webber. With thanks to the London Film Festival, Philippe-Alain Michaud, Christophe Bichon, Stuart Comer, Hannes Schupbach, Erwin van ‘t Hart, Ben Cook, Josh Siegel, Nathaniel Dorsky and Jerome Hiler.


Valie Export

Date: 14 October 2004 | Season: Valie Export

VALIE EXPORT
14—20 October 2004
London National Film Theatre NFT2

Valie Export is a filmmaker, multi-media and performance artist whose challenging work, which fundamentally explores the intersection between the human body and the technological media, has pushed the boundaries of feminism and the avant-garde. As an artist not confined to the gallery, she also made experimental short films and complex feature-length narratives.

Her expanded cinema and performance pieces of the 1960s (often with the participation Peter Weibel, with whom she collaborated on her first two features) gained attention not only in the underground art scene, but also in national television and newspapers. In the wake of the Viennese Actionism movement, Export’s ‘Female Actionism’ was a radical protest that aimed to realign society’s attitude to women and redress the historical portrayal of the female body in art. In the performance, Tapp und Tast Kino (Touch Cinema), Export critiqued the voyeurism of cinema by appearing in the streets of Vienna wearing a box covered by curtains through which the public were invited to feel her naked chest.

Export initially took an extreme and provocative stance to resist the traditional modes of female representation and gain an independence of thought and expression. Sexually explicit and physically jarring, the early short films can be difficult viewing – in Mann & Frau & Animal she is seen masturbating and menstruating and in … Remote … Remote … she uses a knife to push back the cuticles of her fingertips until they bleed, before immersing them in milk. Not for the squeamish or puritanical viewer.

Having first exploded sexual and cultural taboos, Export focussed on the responsibility of the individual in the social environment. With the more conventional features she made in the 1970s and 80s, narrative filmmaking is used as a vehicle to explore ideas evident in her visual art within a more accessible format. Export integrates the language of commercial cinema with quotations from her videotapes, performances and photographic works, which often appear as discreet sections or in dialogue with the plot.

Working with the moving image, Export uses time and space to scrutinise the different layers between reality and the illusion of reality. Her analysis of corruption and the media reached an acute point in the mid-80s, when the plot of The Practice of Love was based on a contemporary arms dealing scandal that was played out in the Austrian press whilst the film was being made.

Export’s work is transgressive and political: an art intended to provoke social change. Concerned with identity, conscience and communication, it was central to the powerful feminist discourse that developed in the 1960s and 70s and is just as relevant today. This season at the NFT, and a major exhibition at Camden Arts Centre, is a vital opportunity to survey the work of one of the most original and influential figures of contemporary art. —Mark Webber

Valie Export NFT season curated by Mark Webber. With thanks to Ian White.

The Valie Export exhibition at Camden Arts Centre runs from 10 September—31 October 2004. 


The Practice of Love

Date: 16 October 2004 | Season: Valie Export

THE PRACTICE OF LOVE
Saturday 16 October 2004, at 8:40pm
London National Film Theatre NFT2

The Practice of Love is a thriller in which television journalist Judith Wiener investigates the events that led to a fatal subway accident, revealing facts which implicate her two lovers in a terrorist conspiracy. Alfons seems out of his depth with his involvement with an arms smuggling racket, while Joseph is a respected psychologist who appears unable to manage his own emotional affairs. The film explores what goes on just below the surface, and how this affects private and public behaviour.

Valie Export, The Practice of Love (Die Praxis der Liebe), Austria, 1984, 90 mins
with Adelheid Arndt, Rüdiger Vogler and Hagnot Elischka

Also screening: Wednesday 20 October 2004, at 6:20pm


Video Visions

Date: 30 October 2004 | Season: London Film Festival 2004 | Tags:

VIDEO VISIONS
Saturday 30 October 2004, at 2pm
London National Film Theatre NFT3

fordbrothers, Preserving Cultural Traditions in a Period of Instability, Austria, 2004, 3 min
fordbrothers explode the visual field as a strangely familiar, but unidentified, voice rails against computer technology and modern society.

Fred Worden, Amongst the Persuaded, USA, 2004, 23 min
The digital revolution is coming, and an old-school film-maker is trying to come to terms with it. ‘The human susceptibility to self-delusion has, at least, this defining characteristic: Easy to spot in others, hard to see in oneself.’ (Fred Worden)

Didi Bruckmayr & Michael Strohmann, Ich Bin Traurig, Austria, 2004, 5 min
An aria for 3D modelling, transformed and decomposed using the cultural filters of opera and heavy metal.

Robin Dupuis, Anoxi, Canada, 2003, 4 min
Effervescent digital animation of vapours and particles.

Michaela Grill, Kilvo, Austria, 2004, 6 min
Minimal is maximal. A synaesthestic composition in black, white and grey.

Myriam Bessette, Nuée, Canada, 2003, 3 min
Bleached out bliss of dripping colour fields.

Jan van Nuenen, Set-4, Netherlands, 2003, 4 min
Endless late night cable television sports programmes, remixed into deep space: from inanity to infinity.

Robert Cauble, Alice in Wonderland Or Who Is Guy Debord?, USA, 2003, 23 min
Alice longs for a more exciting life away from Victorian England, but is she ready for the Society of the Spectacle? Conventional animation is subverted to tell the strange tale of Alice and the Situationists.

PROGRAMME NOTES