Monday 28 September 2009, 18.30

How the Blues influenced the culture of East and West Germany is the compelling subject of this programme. Curator Marcel Schwierin investigates the complex role of the United States as a dominant culture through a montage of Black music films from the US and the former GDR. There is a Light Reading about the films on 30 September at no.w.here

Symphony In Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life
Fred Waller (Duke Ellington Orchestra), USA 1935, 35mm, bw, 9 min.

Scenes of Duke Ellington working on a composition - probably the symphonic jazz track, "A Rhapsody of Negro Life" that gave the film its name - and playing with an orchestra alternate with scenes of African-American life, divided along four themes that mirror the Rhapsody's movements: "The Labourers", "A Triangle (Dance, Jealousy and Blues)", "A Hymn of Sorrow" and "Harlem Rhythm". Billie Holiday singing at the age of 18 is just one of the film's attractions. Fred Waller, born 1886 in New York, directed a series of short films for Paramount Studios where he also controlled the photographic research and special effects department. He developed Vitarama for the 1939 World's Fair in New York, which was the prototype for Cinerama.

Aus Westdeutschland
Der Augenzeuge No. 52, Gdr 1956, 35mm, bw, 1 min.

A rapid parallel montage of rock'n'roll dancing and marching soldiers of the Federal German Army. Narrator: "The first Federal German rock'n'roll tournament has taken place in Hamburg. This is how things look between the dance-floor and military service: two sides of a world that is right next-door. The Federal German army is already on the march and the young generation's frenzied St. Vitus' dance continues in the shadow of the economic miracle. For the moment they continue to dance. The army awaits this unhappy band, which will stagger from the dance-floor to the barracks: a disappointed generation in a state of delirium, attempting to forget West German reality.

Der Augenzeuge ('The Eye-Witness') was the DEFA's weekly newsreel from 1946-1980.

Lipsi
Der Augenzeuge No. A11, Gdr 1959, 35mm, bw, 2 min.

The first public performance of the Lipsi Nr. 1, composed and played by the "René Dubianski Combo Leipzig". The Seifert couple leads us step-by-step through the dance, before the dance-floor is opened to the public.

The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins
Les Blank, Usa 1967, 16mm, col, 31 min.

The great Texas bluesman Lightnin' Hopkins is captured brilliantly in this deeply moving film. Blank reveals Lightnin's inspiration, and features a generous helping of classic blues. Includes performances at an outdoor barbecue and a black rodeo; and a visit to his boyhood town of Centerville, Texas. This powerful portrait is among Blank's special masterworks. 

Einmal in der Woche schrein
Günter Jordan, Gdr 1982, 35mm, col, 17 min.

"Young people in the Prenzlauer Berg district of Berlin independently organise a disco near to Helmholtz Square, without informing any official youth organisation. Günter Jordan shows in his film the social context of kids in rebellion against state paternalism. Lyrics by the rock group 'Pankow' reflect the youngsters' yearning for personal freedom." 

Günter Jordan, born 1941 in Leipzig, Germany, realised more than 30 documentaries since 1969 and published several books about the films of the GDR.

Beatbox, alternate take
Jani Ruscica, Finland 2007, digibeta, col, 9 min.

Created in collaboration with the New York beatboxers Kid Lucky and Shockwave, and the spoken word artist Vocab, Beatbox portrays sound and movement as self-expressive navigational tools. In the style of city symphonies, the beatboxers have created the entire soundtrack of the film by interpreting and imitating the sounds of their surroundings. A mysterious spotlight shows the urban space as a stage where, in the words of Vocab, every street corner has the ability to tell a thousand stories'.

Jani Ruscica, born1978, is a Finnish artist currently based in Helsinki. He has studied at Chelsea College of Art and Design in London graduating in 2002 and subsequently at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, Finland. Ruscica's works take a deeply humanistic approach to unravel culturally specific histories, both personal and collective. His films are inherently self-reflexive and play a strong emphasis on creative collaboration.

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Tate Modern  Starr Auditorium
£5 (£4 concessions), booking recommended