From: Benjamin Cook LUX (email suppressed)
Date: Fri Nov 17 2006 - 07:32:38 PST
dear Friends
apologies for the shameless plug - but LUX is releasing two new DVDs
next week with accompanying events in London. The DVDs are Margaret
Tait, Selected Films 1952 - 1976, launching on 22nd November at
Curzon Soho and Shoot Shoot Shoot: British Avant-Garde Film of the
1960s and 1970s published with Re:Voir and launching at Candid Arts
on 24th November. More details on the DVDs and events below
best wishes
Ben/ LUX
www.lux.org.uk
--- Wednesday 22 November 6pm, Curzon Soho, London http://www.curzoncinemas.com/ ORIGINS AND ELEMENTS: MARGARET TAIT A special screening of newly restored Margaret Tait films from Scottish Screen Archive to mark the launch of the new LUX DVD, Margaret Tait, Selected Works 1952 – 1976. Curated by Peter Todd for LUX the programme includes Calypso (1956), Rose Street (1956), Aspects of Kirkwall: Some Changes (1981) and The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo (1955). The DVD will be on sale on the night for a special reduced price of £15 (usually £19.99). MARGARET TAIT, SELECTED FILMS 1952 - 1976 LUX is pleased to announce the release of a new DVD collection of key films by Orcadian poet and filmmaker Margaret Tait, produced from newly restored prints and available for the first time on DVD. Margaret Tait was one of Britain's most unique and individual artist filmmakers. Over the course of 46 years she produced over 30 films including one feature, Blue Black Permanent (1992) and published five books of poetry and short stories, while living between the Island of Orkney and Edinburgh. Margaret described her life's work as consisting of making film-poems. She often quoted Lorca's phrase of 'stalking the image' to define her philosophy and method, the idea that if you look at an object closely enough it will speak its nature. This clarity of vision and purpose with an attention to simple commonplace subjects combined with a rare sense of inner rhythm and pattern give her films a transcendental quality, while still remaining firmly rooted within the everyday. Margaret once said of her films, with characteristic modesty, that they are born of 'of sheer wonder and astonishment at how much can be seen in any place that you choose...if you really look'. DVD contains the following films: Portrait of Ga (1952), Aerial (1974), Hugh MacDiarmid: A Portrait (1964), Where I am is Here (1964), Place of Work (1976), Tailpiece (1976), John Macfadyen (1970). DVD PAL Region free Published by LUX Order online from LUX SHOP http://www.lux.org.uk/shop/video.htm --- Friday 24 November 2006, doors, 8pm SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT DVD LAUNCH & EXPANDED CINEMA PERFORMANCES A special expanded cinema performance event to mark the launch of the new LUX / Re:Voir DVD "Shoot Shoot Shoot: British Avant-Garde Film of the 1960s and 1970s". The evening will include two live performances: Guy Sherwin’s CONFIGURATION has not been shown since 1976, and William Raban’s WAVE FORMATIONS will be projected for the first time in its new arrangement. CONFIGURATION (Guy Sherwin, 1976, 10 minutes) for 2 x Super-8 projectors, live performer “In this film performance a hand-held projector and a stationary projector reproduce the movements of the two cameras used in making the film. The film was made outdoors in a clearing in a wood. The filmmaker held one camera and moved in a circle around the stationary camera while recording variations of the same view. The two cameras occasionally cross each other’s path. In time we see the gradual approach of a figure towards the two cameras and her subsequent involvement in the act of filming. During the performance, the two films are projected together onto a screen. The performer holds one projector and moves in a circle around the stationary projector, echoing the original camera movements. At times, shadows of projector and projectionist are thrown upon the screen." (Guy Sherwin, 2006) WAVE FORMATIONS (William Raban, 1978, 25 minutes) for 5 x 16mm projectors, 2 x strobe lights, live performer "Part one: Variation in Density: The picture on each of the five screens are identical, seven second fades from black, through clear, to black again. The same fade is printed onto the optical sound track to synchronise with the picture. Then follow fades from light to dark. And from dark to light. Part Two: Intermittency: Relative patterns of occlusion and exposure occupy two screens. Each exposure fires a stroboscopic flash of colour: yellow for one screen; blue for the other, filling the centre of both screens with colour, haloed with after-image complementaries.” (William Raban, 1978) The "Shoot Shoot Shoot" DVD will be on sale for a special discounted price of £15 at this event (RRP £19.99). See below for further information on the disc. FREE admission - arrive early to avoid disappointment at Candid Arts Trust 3 Torrens Street London EC1V 1NQ Nearest Tube: Angel http://www.candidarts.com SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT: BRITISH AVANT-GARDE FILM OF THE 1960s & 1970s “Shoot Shoot Shoot: British Avant-Garde Film of the 1960s & 1970s” is the first time that works from this defining period in British artists’ filmmaking have been made available on video. The DVD release commemorates the 40th anniversary of the London Film-Makers’ Co-operative, which was established on 13th October 1966. “Shoot Shoot Shoot: British Avant-Garde Film of the 1960s & 1970s” is two hours long and contains 13 complete films: At The Academy (Guy Sherwin 1974), Little Dog For Roger (Malcolm Le Grice 1967), Shepherd’s Bush (Mike Leggett 1971), Hall (Peter Gidal 1968-69), Dirty (Stephen Dwoskin 1965-67), Marvo Movie (Jeff Keen 1967), Broadwalk (William Raban 1972), Fforest Bay II (Chris Welsby 1973), Slides (Annabel Nicolson 1970), Film No. 1 (David Crosswaite 1971), Dresden Dynamo (Lis Rhodes 1971), Footsteps (Marilyn Halford 1974), Leading Light (John Smith 1975). The PAL format, region-free DVD is accompanied by a 48 page bilingual English / French booklet written by project curator Mark Webber, with a foreword by A. L. Rees (author of “A History of Experimental Film and Video” BFI, 1999). Published by LUX in association with Re: Voir www.lux.org.uk www.re-voir.com Order online from LUX SHOP www.lux.org.uk/shop/video.htm __________________________________________________________________ For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.