From: Stephanie Sapienza (email suppressed)
Date: Tue Apr 28 2009 - 13:11:15 PDT
I think this discussion is valuable, albeit indicative of the inherent problems in trying to sit and draw out definitions of and proposed limitations on a genre that has carried with it SO many names and definitions over the years. iotaCenter tries as part of its current mission statement to draw out the history and varied definitions and concepts of these over the years - "the artistic exploration of
abstraction in the moving image has taken on many forms with a wide
variety of names such as “Lumia,” “Color Music,” “Mobilcolor,”
“MusiColor,” “Absolute Film,” “Video Synthesis,” “Rhythmic Light,”
“Abstract Animation,” and more..."
I do think it is important to keep the fact that scholars have never fallen on one of these terms as "the" defining genre term. And although the clear forerunner in this instance is in fact "visual music" - many scholars have taken issue with this term as well. The fact of the matter is that the various forms of experimental and abstract animation resist such limitations and definitions - which I believe is a healthy thing.
I have written Leo back individually, but I also wanted to reiterate a fact that several Frameworkers already know - the iotaCenter has a research and study center in Culver City with hundreds of DVDs that explore various examples and incarnations of this genre over almost 100 years. Some of these are commercial releases (like the complete NFB box set of Norman McLaren work), and others are video transfers of films in iota's collection that have never been released on video.
So I encourage many of you to take a lunch break or a couple of hours to come in and look at some of these and draw your own conclusions. Write me at email suppressed.
Lastly, for those researchers that come in wanting a primer on visual music, I typically show them the 1993 documentary by Keith Griffiths entitled Abstract Cinema: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340505/. It includes interviews with Stan Brakhage, William Moritz, Len Lye, James Whitney, Malcolm LeGrice and many more, with clips from many classics of the genre as well.
Best Regards,
Stephanie Sapienza
Assistant Director
iotaCenter
email suppressed
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From: Myron Ort <email suppressed>
To: email suppressed
Sent: Monday, April 27, 2009 5:59:08 PM
Subject: Re: Definition of Visual Music
Another aspect of the term "Visual Music" is that the imagery be as non-referential (abstract) as possible ("absolute cinema"), only referring to the "abstract" movements and changes that would occur in music, whether the film be with sound or silent. To get a handle on the term "abstraction" as applied to things visual I would recommend the writings of Mondrian. Diagonals and Horizons are still referential. For me, in this rigorous sense, mandalas and abstract forms that mimic dancing creatures of any kind or behave and move like familiar animate things would still also be referential. I am afraid that images produced from lens light flares ultimately stemming from reflections of light in the real world are still referential. Think later Ad Rheinhardt or Russian Supremetism + electronic sounds. Now we are talking "visual music"........
Myron Ort
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For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
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For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.