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iotaNews Sept – Nov 2009

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 The iotaWeekly  – November 23-29, 2009

 

 

Clip of the Week
“Punto y Raya 2009: Retrospective Section” (2009) compiled by Noel Palazzo, MADactionsWatch the trailer for “PYR 2009: Retrospective Section,” the 2009 Punto y Raya Festival’s opening night screening dedicated to bringing visual music classics to a new audience.Curated by the iotaCenter, the retrospective includes such classics as Larry Cuba’s “3/78” and “Calculated Movements,” Hy Hirsh’s “Chasse des Touches,” Frank & Caroline Mouris’ “Impasse,” and Jules Engel’s “Train Landscape” and “Shapes and Gestures.” The program will be presented by Larry Cuba.
Site of the Week
2009 Punto y Raya FestivalGet “back to basics” and visit the 2009 Punto y Raya Festival Official Website, your primary source for information about this year’s abstraction-infused special events, “pyrformances,” the iotaCenter curated Retrospective 09, and the Official Competition featuring an international selection of today’s most innovative and exciting abstract animators. Hosted at Arts Santa Mònica in Barcelona, the festival kicks off this Wednesday, November 25, and runs until Sunday, November 29.Even if you are unable to attend the festival, the site is a fantastic window into the various colorful voices of contemporary abstract visuals.
Rob Tyler, www.vcr100.com Artist of the Week
Rob Tyler“Rob Tyler is a filmmaker and artist living and working in Portland·OR, USA. He has created a handful of documentaries and short, abstract movies that have been exhibited around the world. Swimming in a world of painting, film, digital video, photography and sound, Rob Tyler’s work sustains repeated viewings and invites metaphoric interpretation.”–Punto y Raya FestivalOf particular interest to the abstract animation community is Tyler’s Color + Modulation series, a fascinating and vividly colorful body of experimental films. Tyler’s “Color + Modulation #7” screens as part of the 2009 Punto y Raya’s Official Competition.For more information about Rob Tyler, his “Color + Modulation” series, and his other work, please visit his website VCR100.

The iotaWeekly – November 16-22, 2009

 

Clip of the Week
“Luma Nocturna” (1974) by Sky-David aka Dennis Pies

Watch a clip from the chilling and eerie “Luma Nocturna,” an early Sky-David (the artist formerly known as Dennis Pies) masterpiece of abstract animation that turns vaguely familiar shapes into an uneasy realm of shifting biological forms complete with expanding, contracting, spiraling blues, blacks, and whites.”This was my first exploration in luminance animation. Nacreous pigments on the polished deep black surface of the scratch board allow vibrant white lines and airbrushed life forms to dance until the city and the airport landing at night finish the piece. This is the first film that I made with a luminous tunnel and got the work doing the tunnels for the feature DREAMSCAPE. This was by far my most popular animated film and is still screened today.”–Sky-David“Luma Nocturna” is also one of the films in Sky-David’s recent donation to The iotaCenter and will be featured this week at the November 19th iotaSalon at UCLA.
Site of the Week
Experimental CinemaVisit Experimental Cinema, a site dedicated to creating awareness as well as promoting the discussion of alternative film. The site is divided into three main sections: the main site, customizable by users who can add their own news, reviews, or information about films and filmmakers; the discussion board, where users can post their rants and raves about the avant-garde; and a catalog dedicated to books and films related to experimental cinema. Operated by Marcos Ortega, this site is a welcome harbinger of new and international visions in the 21st Century.
Artist of the Week

Elainie Lillios“Elainie Lillios’s music focuses on the essence of sound and suspension of time, conveying different emotions and taking listeners on “sonic journeys”. The sounds she uses for her music are varied–sometimes they are simple things like the human voice, cars, wind chimes, or water. Other times her sound material is less obvious, like crunching bits of branches, walking through snow, or pebbles shuffling in water.”–artist’s websiteElainie’s extraordinary music can be heard on “2BTextures,” her collaboration with animator Bonnie Mitchell, an excerpt which can be found on iotaCenter’s YouTube Channel. The film was also recently featured as part of the October 1st iotaSalon.
For more information about Elainie Lillios and her work, please visit her website.

The iotaCenter Salon – Presented by The iotaCenter and UCLA Design | Media Art Department

 After a successful October launch, The iotaSalon commences once again with the generous support of the UCLA Design | Media Art Department. The next iotaSalon will be held on November 19th in the Broad Art Center on campus, first floor at the EDA screening space. Join us!

For more information and program line up, please visit The iotaSalons 2009 page.

When: Thursday, November 19th, 2009, 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Where: UCLA Design | Media Art Department, 1st Floor Broad Art Center (EDA), Westwood, CA

Map and Directions

The iotaWeekly – November 9-15, 2009

 

 

Clip of the Week
“Frankly Caroline” (1998) by Frank & Caroline MourisFrom the filmmakers that brought you the Academy Award-winning “Frank Film” (1973), comes “Frankly Caroline,” a smorgasbord of autobiography and animation set to the narration of a bickering, but undoubtedly loving, married couple.

Site of the Week
Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive & CineFilesVisit the website of the Pacific Film Archive, Northern California’s reknowned working archive and exhibitor of essential art-house classics and important contemporary filmmakers. PFA also dedicates every Tuesday evening to Alternative Visions, its on-going showcase of avant-garde film.Scholars and artists looking to expand their horizons will also find a great resource in CineFiles, an online selection of the over 95,000 documentation files housed at the PFA Library & Film Study Center.The PFA Library & Study Center provides access to over 11,000 films as well as “8,000 books, 150 journal titles, 7,500 posters, 35,000 stills, and 1,500 audiotapes of filmmakers who have appeared at the Pacific Film Archive.”
Artist of the Week

Robert DarrollAbstract animator Robert Darroll (1946- ) studied at the Michaelis School of Fine Art and in 1970, he received a DAAD Scholarship to study in Germany with Kurt Kranz, a former Bauhaus student. Darroll’s first independent work, “CENIT” was completed in 1973 and in the following years he and Krantz worked on experimental animations commissioned by ZDF (German TV). During 1983-84, Darroll lived in Song Kwang Sa in South Korea, after which he produced “The Korean Trilogy” from 1984 to 1990. In 1990, Darroll converted his studio to digital technology and began his first computer animation entitled “Memb,” followed by other works including “Moé’s Field” and “Stele.” Since 2002, he has lived in Japan where he teaches Media Art at the Nagoya University of Art and Science.Darroll’s “Stele” (1999) recently screened as part of the October 1st iotaSalon and is featured on the KINETICA Video Library DVD “Robert Darroll: Digital Animations, 1990-2001,” available for purchase at the iotaStore.For more information about Robert Darroll and his work, please visit his page at the Visual Music Village.

The iotaWeekly – November 2-8, 2009

 

 

GeomeTrio Clip of the Week
“GeomeTrio” (2005) by Joaquin “Kino” GilWatch a clip from “GeomeTrio” by Los Angeles based artist Joaquin “Kino” Gil, recently featured in the October 1st iotaSalon.
Site of the Week
Seeing SoundFor an exciting and in-depth view into the visual music community, visit the official website of Seeing Sound, the September 2009 symposium hosted by Bath Spa University’s Centre for Musical Research.The two-day affair featured screenings of historical and contemporary visual music works as well as performances by contemporary artists and presentations by reknowned scholars working in the various fields of abstract animation.Although the event has passed, the website’s plethora of biographies, film notes, archived presentation slideshows, and external links continue to serve as a crucial community resource for artists and researchers interested in what is happening now in the world of visual music.
Artist of the Week

Paul GlabickiDescribed as one of the most innovative experimental animators working today, Paul Glabicki began making animated films in 1968. He studied painting at Carnegie Mellon University before receiving two MFA degrees (in painting and film) from Ohio University. Rooted in an abstract tradition, his films contain complex layered imagery and sound and, until recently, were all made by hand. The winner of dozens of awards, Glabicki teaches art at the University of Pittsburgh. His newest project, MEMORY SPACES, is a series of computer-generated environments for 3-D Stereo projection.Glabicki’s “Object Conversation” (1985) recently screened as part of the October 1st iotaSalon.

The iotaWeekly – October 26-November 1, 2009

 

 

2BTextures Clip of the Week
“2BTextures” (2008) by Bonnie Mitchell and Elainie LilliosWatch a clip from the colorful and charged “2BTextures,” recently featured in the October 1st iotaSalon. You can learn more about the film and the artists’ other work at their website, Immersive Installation Art.
Site of the Week
Conversations at the Edge“Conversations at the Edge (CATE) is a weekly series of screenings, artist talks, and performances by some of the most compelling media artists of yesterday and today.CATE is organized by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Department of Film, Video, and New Media in collaboration with the Gene Siskel Film Center and the Video Data Bank.Programs take place Thursdays at 6pm at the Gene Siskel Film Center (164 N. State / Chicago, IL / 312-846-2600), unless otherwise noted.”

Conversations at the Edge is also home to Chicago-based curator Amy Beste who helped iota and Chicago-based animator Jodie Mack bring the recent screening “Calculations: Pioneers of Computer Animation” to Echo Park Film Center in Los Angeles.
Dwinell Grant, James A. Michener Art Museum archives Artist of the Week

Dwinell GrantDwinell Grant (1912-1991) graduated from the Dayton Art Institute in Ohio. Between 1935 and 1941, he taught art and drama at the Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. He was a renowned abstract painter, with exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad, before he turned to filmmaking and moved to New York City in the 1940s. After his fifth abstract COMPOSITION film, he devoted himself to making medical and educational films, co-founding the Sturgis-Grant Production Company in New York.

The iotaWeekly – October 19-25, 2009

 

 

Chasse des Touches Clip of the Week
“Chasse des Touches” (1959) by Hy Hirsh“A whimsical abstract film produced in Paris using the oil wipes technique, by one of the leaders of the West Coast Experimental Film Movement.”–1975 Creative Film Society Catalog
Site of the Week
VJThoery.netAnswering to the “lack of written texts on the philosophies and theories related with VJing and realtime interaction,” VJThoery.net “intends to develop a community actively discussing and reflecting on philosophy and theory related with Vjing and realtime interaction,” providing VJs, fans, and scholars with a great resource of in-depth articles, interviews, and links related to this burgeoning medium.
Artist of the Week

Stephanie MaxwellStephanie Maxwell has been creating stunningly beautiful and original experimental animation for over twenty years. As a film artist who specializes in hand painting and engraving directly onto the surface of 35mm film stock, Maxwell employs a wide variety of materials and tools, including paints, markers, bleach, stencils, engraving tools, airbrush and many more experimental techniques.The result is an exuberant flurry of color, form, and sound. Multi-layered, vibrant and complex, her films reveal the artist’s unique sensibility for crafting fine art in motion. Collected here are all fourteen of Maxwell’s major works from GA (1984) to Runa’s Spell (2007). These award-winning films have been exhibited at media festivals worldwide. Also included on the DVD is a new, fascinating documentary in which Maxwell demonstrates her unique and unusual techniques.Purchase the Kinetica Video Library DVD “Stephanie Maxwell: Animated Works 1984-2007” at the iotaStore, here.

For more information about Stephanie Maxwell and her work, please visit her website.

The iotaWeekly – October 12-18, 2009

 

 

One Clip of the Week
“One” (2007) by Michal Levy“One is a visual journey into music. An electronic sound wave, growing as the drum beat increases, turns into a colorful metropolis of skyscrapers that rise and fall like pistons. Two skyscrapers detach from the ground and take off into an ecstatic flight of freedom, discovering new dimensions.”–Michal Levy

Alongside other selections of both historical and contemporary abstract animation, “One” was recently featured in the October 1st iotaSalon.

To learn more about the artist and her work, please visit her website.

 
Site of the Week
The Art|Sci Center at UCLA“The Art|Sci Center is dedicated to pursuing and promoting the evolving ‘Third Culture’ by facilitating the infinite potential of collaborations between (media) arts and (bio/nano) sciences.”¨”¨The center’s affiliation with the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) offers access to cutting edge researchers and their laboratories and a dedicated gallery for exhibitions. Here too the center hosts the Sci|Art NanoLab Summer Institute for high school students by introducing them to the vast possibilities in the quantum field of art|science for the present and future generations.”¨”¨In cooperation with CNSI, the UCLA School of the Arts and the Department of Design | Media Arts, the Art|Sci Center supports visiting research scholars and artists in residency from around the world. The center presents lectures, mixers, and symposia to bring artists and scientists together in order to mesh these cultures and inspire individuals to think about art and science as already interrelated and relevant to our society.”
Artist of the Week

Harvey Goldman“Harvey Goldman is a multidisciplinary artist. He has created critically acclaimed work in the fields of ceramics, digital imaging and music. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. Goldman received his BFA from the University of Illinois and his MFA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He teaches digital media in the Design Department at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he currently holds the position of Chancellor Professor of Design.”–artist’s websiteGoldman’s work with musician James Bohn, “Undulation” (2007) was recently featured as “Clip of the Week” and screened at the October 1st iotaSalon. His work produced with musician Ken Ueno, “Sabinium” (2007) will be featured at the Smithsonian’s Hirshorn Museum on October 15th as part of the Washington Project for the Arts Experimental MediaCompetition, 2009.For more information about Harvey Goldman and his work, please visit his website.

The iotaWeekly – October 5-11, 2009

 

 

Respect for Red and Green Clip of the Week
“Respect for Red and Green” (2009) by Neil Ira Needleman“Playful and intense red-green rhythms joyfully bouncing, bopping flashing, and evolving. A newly refurbished tennis court that I’ve trained to dance via video editing. Or perhaps it’s actually a large-scale hard-edge color field painting come to life under my feet. Tennis, anyone?”–Neil Ira Needleman

To learn more about the artist and his work, please visit his YouTube Channel and his blog.

 
Site of the Week
Ottawa 09 International Animation Festival
October 14-18, 2009″From October 14th to 18th, the nation’s capital will once again become the center of the animation universe. The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is the largest event of its kind in North America, a major film event attracting attendees from around the world. Film buffs, art lovers and cartoon fans won’t want to miss this year’s great line up of screenings taking place at ByTowne Cinema, National Gallery of Canada, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Empire Theatres Rideau Centre and Arts Court Theatre.”Of particular interest to the abstract animation community at OIAF 09 is “A Stan VanDerBeek Retrospective” and a special event featuring the expanding medium of stereoscopic cinema, “The StereoLab at NFB: Exploring Three Dimensions.”
Artist of the Week

KinoA CalArts alum and Los Angeles-based abstract animator, Kino has not only founded and continues to head his own digital film and production company, .KINO.digital, his digital film and CGI production company but continues to experiment and create innovative digital animations some of which have screened recently in the Punto y Raya Festival, presented by MADactions and The iotaCenter, as well as in October 1st’s iotaSalon.

The iotaCenter Salon – Presented by The iotaCenter and UCLA Design | Media Art Department

 

 After a long hiatus, The iotaSalon is returning to Los Angeles! With the generous support of the UCLA Design | Media Art Department, iota will hold a salon on October 1st in the Broad Art Center on campus, first floor at the EDA screening space.

For more information and program line up, please visit The iotaSalons 2009 page.

When: Thursday, October 1st, 2009, 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Where: UCLA Design | Media Art Department, 1st Floor Broad Art Center (EDA), Westwood, CA

Map and Directions

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