The Sun Film by John Cage/Richard Lippold
John Cage/Richard Lippold, Still from The Sun Film
Jud Yalkut Still from Turn, Turn, Turn
Jordan Belson Still from Quartet, unfinished film
Oskar Fischinger Ornament Sound
Oskar Fischinger Still from Spirals
Oskar Fischinger Still from Studie nr 5
From absolute film to psychedelia, a programme of revelatory moments from the history of visual music and kinetic art. This selection explores lost, legendary and rare treasures found in the archives of Center for Visual Music (CVM). Featuring rare works by Jordan Belson, including two unreleased films, the unfinished Quartet and the premiere of the restoration of the infamous LSD, plus a reel from the legendary San Francisco Vortex Concerts (1957–9), and the rarely screened Bopscotch. Oskar Fischinger’s early films Spirals and Ornament Sound and Charles Dockum’s Mobilcolor Performance, a later color-light projection composition, provide insights into the history of kinetic art and synthetic sound as does the UK premiere of the lost John Cage and Richard Lippold film of The Sun, a kinetic art sculpture. In memory of Jud Yalkut (1938–2013), a new preserved print of Turn, Turn, Turn, 'a kinetic alchemy of the light and electronic works of Nicolas Schoffer, Julio Le Parc, USCO, and Nam June Paik' with sound by USCO.
The programme, featuring many new preserved 16mm and 35mm prints, is introduced by archivist/curator Cindy Keefer of CVM.
Spirals, Oskar Fischinger, Germany, c.1926, 35mm, black and white, silent, 3 min
Studie nr 5, Oskar Fischinger, Germany, 1930, 35mm, black and white, sound, 3 min
Ornament Sound, Oskar Fischinger, Germany, c.1932, 35mm, black and white, sound, 2 min
Bopscotch, Jordan Belson, USA, 1952, 16mm, colour, sound, 4 min
Vortex 5 presentation reel, Jordan Belson, USA, 1959, 16mm, black and white, silent, 7 min
LSD, Jordan Belson, USA, c.1962, 16mm, colour, sound, c.5 min
Turn, Turn, Turn, Jud Yalkut, USA, 1966, 16mm, colour, sound, 10 min
The Sun Film, John Cage & Richard Lippold, USA, 1956, 16mm, colour, silent, c.6 min
The Sun, Variations within a Sphere No. 10 [documentation], John Cage & Richard Lippold, USA, 1956, 16mm, colour, silent, c.7 min
Mobilcolor Performance film, Charles Dockum, USA, 1970, 16mm, colour, silent, 11 min
Quartet (unfinished), Jordan Belson, USA, c.1983, 16mm film transferred to HD, colour, silent, 10 min
Programme duration 70 min