Re: Le Poeme Electronique

From: Joost Rekveld (email suppressed)
Date: Sat Dec 15 2007 - 13:09:45 PST


Hi,

the youtube/ubeweb version was made about ten years ago by the VPRO
broadcasting organization for Dutch television. As far as I know the
visuals in the original project consisted of lights, slide
projections and a 16mm black&white film. The VPRO version is the
black and white film as it is (in the archive of the Nederlands
Filmmuseum), but with a graphic representation of the colours and the
slide projections overlaid. These graphic shapes are derived from the
timed 'score' for the lights and projections. So the film as you see
it on youtube is an attempt to give some idea of the whole, but it is
not the film as it was projected in the original environment.
I've never seen a 35mil reconstruction of it, but that doesn't mean
it doesn't exist. It would be more of an interpretation of the total
event than an archival reconstruction though..

The best public source of information on this is the book "Space
Calculated in Seconds" by Marc Treib (see http://press.princeton.edu/
titles/5949.html ), which includes an overview of the graphic score
for the lights.

There have been various reconstructions and the most extreme project
I heard about was to actually pretty much rebuild the thing, but I
also heard that is not likely to happen. I think it would be a much
better idea if Philips would start funding new cutting-edge art
projects again if they are so interested in the Poeme Electronique.
They did amazing things with artists in the fifties and sixties, but
that flavour is totally gone now, it seems, and reviving past masters
is not the same thing.

These people: (http://www.edu.vrmmp.it/vep/) made a virtual version
of the Poème Electronique, and it is nice to get some idea of what it
was like.

ciao,

Joost.

On Dec 15, 2007, at 12:29 AM, Mark Toscano wrote:

> There is an ongoing project at the Netherlands
> Filmmuseum in partnership with other organizations and
> artists to do some sort of reconstruction or restaging
> of this environment. I saw a presentation about it in
> Amsterdam earlier this year, and it sounded pretty
> fascinating. The original environment sounds like it
> was quite an insane experience.
>
> At any rate, you might contact the Filmmuseum about
> availability of the film. If I remember correctly, I
> believe what I saw was a 35mm reconstructed print,
> which looked pretty incredible. www.filmmuseum.nl
>
> hope this helps,
>
> mark t
>
>
>
> --- Marcos Ortega <email suppressed> wrote:
>
>> Hi, Marcel
>>
>> I don't know where you can get a print, but you can
>> find a better
>> version than youtube's here
>>
>> http://www.ubu.com/film/varese.html
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Marcos
>>
>>
>>
>> Quoting Marcel Schwierin <email suppressed>:
>>
>>> Dear frameworkers,
>>>
>>> I'm looking for a film (or screening video) copy
>> of the film Le Poeme
>>> Electronique / Het Electronisch Gedicht. It's a
>> kind of a film version
>>> of the Philips pavillion Le Corbusier made with
>> Varese and Xenakis at
>>> the world fair trade 1958 in Brussels and it's 9
>> min. There is a copy
>>> on youtube. I would also be interested in any kind
>> of information, like
>>> who exactly made this film, where the material
>> came from, etc.
>>>
>>> Thanx!
>>>
>>> Marcel
>>>
>>> Marcel Schwierin
>>> ----------------
>>> cinovid ::: database for experimental film and
>> video art
>>> (formerly known as oVid) :::
>> http://www.cinovid.org
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
> __________________________________________________________________
>>> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at
>> <email suppressed>.
>>
>>
>>
> __________________________________________________________________
>> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at
>> <email suppressed>.
>>
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
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> __________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________
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