State of the Arts Category Archive: Video
Videotecture: Where film and design meet
Posted at 1:47 PM on February 7, 2012
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Architecture, Design, Media, Video
Q: How do you get people excited about urban design?
A: Hold a video competition.
At least that's the answer that came to Architecture Minnesota magazine.
Last year Architecture Minnesota held the first annual "Videotect" competition, asking for people to submit short films on the topic of Minnesota's most controversial urban design element - skyways.
Last year's Videotect Grand Prize Winning entry
The competition, culminating in a live screening at the Walker Art Center of the most popular candidates, was a hit according to Architecture Minnesota editor Chris Hudson:
We knew that with a public video competition we wouldn't necessarily get highly prescriptive commentary, but we guessed--and guessed right--that what the entries lacked in analysis they would more than make up for in entertainment value. Bringing entertainment to urban design discussions is a pretty cool thing, in our eyes.
Honorable Mention and Viewers' Choice Finalist for the 2011 competition
Videotect is back this year for round two. This time the topic is "sustainable transportation and its enhancement through quality design" and each video has to be two minutes or less in length.
39 videos were submitted to this year's competition, predominantly from Minnesota, but also Oregon, Illinois, and New York, and from as far away as China, Denmark, and the Netherlands. Hudson ultimately sees Videotect becoming a popular international competition.
You can watch the videos, and vote for your favorites here.
One of this year's entries in the Videotect competition
Voting for the people's choice award runs through Friday, however tomorrow afternoon I'll be sitting down with fellow panel judges to pick our favorites. And trust me, it's not going to be easy!
This year there will be a screening of finalists on March 1 at the Walker Art Center, culminating in a vote for the popular choice winner. The creators of the winning videos will be awarded $2000 (for Grand Prize and Popular Choice) and $500 (for Honorable Mention) respectively.
Another entry in this year's Videotect competition
Video break: for the love of books
Posted at 11:31 AM on January 12, 2012
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Animation, Books, Video
Sean Ohlenkamp and his wife were reorganizing the books on their shelves one day when they got inspired:
After having so much fun with their own book collection, they took it to the next step, paying a visit to TYPE bookstore in Toronto. The results are charming:
Ohlenkamp jokes that he's now looking for volunteers to help him take on the Library of Congress...
Three not-so-traditional ways to bring on the holiday cheer
Posted at 11:22 AM on December 15, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Music, Storytelling, Television, Video
1. Grab the kids and head over to The Cedar in Minneapolis on Sunday at noon for Trailer Trash's Trashy Little Xmas Family Matinee. Watch the kids dance to honky tonk holiday tunes and realize that yes, you are that old.
2. Tired from all the holiday shopping? Pay a visit to the Walker Art Center, where you can pay money to watch advertisements for products you can't buy in the U-S. That's right, it's the British Arrows Awards, featuring rapping dairy farmers touting the quality of their yogurt.
3. Wishing there was more snow? Rockstar Storytellers presents "Rockstar Snow Emergency," featuring the spoken word talents of Allegra Lingo, Joseph Scrimshaw and phillip andrew bennet low, among others.
If you prefer more traditional holiday fare, tune in tomorrow for a list of Nutcrackers on Twin Cities stages...
In jazz there are no mistakes, only opportunities
Posted at 11:30 AM on December 14, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Video
Vibraphone player and improvisational jazz musician Stefon Harris has a unique perspective on the idea of "making a mistake." On the stage, he says, there are no mistakes - only opportunities:
The bandstand as we call it is an incredible space, it's really a sacred space, and one of the incredible things about it is that you really have no opportunity to think about the future or the past - you really are alive right here in this moment.
Harris demonstrates the idea of a mistake by having his band play in a certain key, and then directing the pianist plays a note apparently out of key. No one in the ensemble responds to the note, and so it seems completely out of place. Then the band plays again, this time reacting to the "out of key" note, and transforming the music into something completely different, but still lovely.
So the idea of a mistake from the perspective of a jazz musician - the only mistake is If each musician is not aware and accepting enough of his fellow bandmember to incorporate the idea, and if we don't allow for creativity.
Harris goes on to give some advice to managers in other fields:
The other dynamic is that we don't micro-manage in jazz - that limits the artistic possibilities. If I really want the music to go somewhere, I need to listen, to be patient, and to pull from what's going on around me.
Improv Everywhere: teaching adults to play
Posted at 8:00 AM on November 14, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Comedy, Events, Video
Charlie Todd gets people to ride the subway in their boxers, and dance in public with strangers, all in the name of good fun.
As kids we're taught to play and we're never given a reason why we should play - it's just acceptable that play is a good thing. I think that's the point of Improv Everywhere. It's that there is no point, there doesn't have to be a point. We don't need a reason as long as it's fun... and I think as adults we need to learn that there is no right or wrong way to play.
In this TED Talk, Todd reviews some of his more successful improv projects. My favorite? When he gets 80 people to put on blue polo shirts and khaki pants and walk into a Best Buy.
Video break: Bon Iver's 'Holocene'
Posted at 9:28 AM on November 11, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Music, Video
For today's video break, an escape from the urban jungle:
Bon Iver's frontman Justin Vernon was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. In an interview with NPR he said this of his song Holocene:
Holocene is a bar in Portland, Ore., but it's also the name of a geologic era, an epoch if you will. It's a good example of how all the songs are all meant to come together as this idea that places are times and people are places and times are... people? [Laughs.] They can all be different and the same at the same time. Most of our lives feel like these epochs. That's kind of what that song's about. "Once I knew I was not magnificent." Our lives feel like these epochs, but really we are dust in the wind. But I think there's a significance in that insignificance that I was trying to look at in that song.
Did you get that?
Regardless, the music is beautiful and the Icelandic scenery is haunting. Enjoy... and check out Justin Vernon's in-studio performance for 89.3 The Current here.
Video Break: Foundry Dance
Posted at 9:42 AM on November 4, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Sculpture, Video
Created by Matt and Heidi Hoy, this lovely video captures the creation of a bronze sculpture they made at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts. Music by Cloud Cult.
The rules of cosplay
Posted at 6:14 PM on October 27, 2011
by Euan Kerr
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Filed under: Animation, Culture, Events, Fashion, People, Video
An announcement about the forthcoming "Animinneapolis" event arrived via Twitter today. The big event will be held in Bloomington June 29 - July 1, 2012.
Aimed at fans of Japanese animation it will feature screenings of classic anime and the latest offerings, chances to meet the top voice-over specialists who lend their talents to dubbing stories fresh from Asia, and of course there is the chance to dress up as a favorite character.
"Cosplay" is a time-honored tradition at sci-fi conventions, and in particular those focused on anime. Animinneapolis offers chances both to socialize and compete in costume.
Of course there are rules, and the Animinneapolis folks have already posted them. Frankly they kind of make you think. And wonder...
A sampling:
Please behave responsibly while at the convention. Remember you are representing the convention, the entire Minneapolis anime community, and every other attendee. Be considerate of all guests, attendees, and AniMinneapolis staff.
Any violation of rules can result in the suspension of membership privileges to the convention. You may be asked to leave, and in extreme cases you may be asked to never return. In addition, any attendee found breaking state or federal law will be reported and suspended from the convention. We reserve the right to determine what is and is not acceptable, and we may revise the code of conduct at anytime without notice.
"You break it, you buy it." If you damaged, deface, or otherwise break any equipment you are to pay for a replacement out of your own pockets.
If you win any prizes but are not present during the allotted time limit, the prize may be handed down to your follow up. Please consider checking your cellphone and in Con Ops regularly, and be aware of when the prizes will be handed out.
Masquerade department staff members may be allowed to participate in one cosplay event during the whole convention. Staff members may be pulled out if help is needed elsewhere, however. Staff can not win any awards during the Cosplay Masquerade.
Anyone found willfully damaging another individual's costume or harassing another cosplayer, will be ejected from the convention and likely prosecuted.
I may be spending my weekend working on a Mighty Mouse or Gigantor costume.
(Image courtesy Wikipedia, Photo taken by: Alton Thompson, 2009)
Walker Art Center receives $1 million to digitize films, upgrade cinema
Posted at 9:57 AM on August 18, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Film, Museums, Video
The Bentson Foundation has granted the Walker Art Center $1 million to "enhance the presentation and preservation" of the Ruben/Bentson Film and Video Study Collection.
According to a release from the Walker, the funds will be used to digitize selected films and upgrade the Walker Cinema. Improvements include the addition of high-definition digital projectors, a redesign of the cinema's acoustics, and new seats.
A razor is drawn towards a woman's eye in this still from the film Un Chien Andalou by Salvador Dalí and Luis Buñuel, 1928.
The Ruben/Bentson Film and Video Study Collection was established in 1973 by a gift from Edmond R. Ruben, a leading figure in film exhibition in the Upper Midwest. The Rubens' daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Larry Bentson, were also longtime supporters of the Walker whose major gift in 1998 allowed the Walker to acquire, conserve, and present film/video materials. The Bentson Foundation was established in 1956 to support a range of philanthropic causes throughout the state.
The Walker's Ruben/Bentson Film and Video Study Collection now includes more than 850 titles, from classic to contemporary cinema as well as documentaries, avant-garde films, and video works by artists.
A little beat to beat the heat
Posted at 12:11 PM on July 18, 2011
by Euan Kerr
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Filed under: Music, Video
Yes, it's hot, and it's going to remain hot for a few days, but there is always a certain amount to be said for beating the heat with a hot beat.
For the last decade new York-based Balkan Beat Box has melded modern rhythms and the traditional music of Balkan (and other) cultures. Tomorrow they bring their mix back to the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis and as you can see from the video above, it promises to be sweaty, loud, inventive, and fun.
Where the hell is Matt? Minneapolis
Posted at 9:11 AM on July 12, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Dance, People, Public Art, Video
Matt Harding, the guy known for dancing badly - but happily - around the world, is getting some dance lessons at the Walker Art Center's sculpture garden this Saturday. And he'd like you to join him.
The self-described deadbeat from Connecticut became an internet hit when he produced a video of himself dancing in unique locations. Stride Gum saw great marketing potential, and sponsored Harding to make two more videos. In the third, and probably most inspiring video (above), he invited fans to join him.
Now Harding is on tour with his video camera again, and this time he's decided to learn some new moves.
According to his Facebook page, he'll be at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden on Saturday from 4-7pm, and he'd like folks to join him.
If you plan to go, he asks that you register as "attending" on his Facebook page so he know how many to plan for.
Minnesota artists speak up on same-sex marriage debate
Posted at 10:16 AM on June 25, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Culture, Video
A group of Minnesota artists have decided "enough already." They've banded together to create minnesotaartistsforequality.org, an organization which, by all appearances, is interested in harnessing the talent and energy of the state's artists to rally against the same-sex marriage ban, which will be on the ballot in the 2012 general election. Here's their promotional video:
Minnesota Artists for Equality from Minnesota Artists for Equality on Vimeo.
Nico Muhly brings social networking to life, and to the opera
Posted at 8:48 AM on June 14, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Opera, Technology, Video
Have you ever thought about just how bizarre our online relationships are? I mean, really, are you actually "friends" with all those people on Facebook? What if you really "followed" people over the course of days, or years?
Composer Nico Muhly has been pondering these questions, and it's the inspiration for a charming - albeit slightly disturbing video - promoting his upcoming opera "Two Boys," which gets its premiere later this month by the English National Opera.
However, according to The Guardian's Tom Service, the film is nothing like the actual opera.
If the wit of the film gets people to turn up to ENO for the show, so much the better, but anyone who buys their ticket based on the film is in for a shock. If Two Boys lives up to the potential of its music and its story, it will be a searing night at the theatre that will do more than make you delete a few friends on Facebook. It should force you to think about the complexities of human identity and relationships, on- and offline, as well as confront you with some of the freshest music in the opera house in the 21st century.
And truly, to read the opera's description on the ENO website, viewers are in for something quite dark:
A teenage boy is stabbed. An older boy is caught on CCTV leaving the scene. An open-and-shut case, it would seem. But, as Detective Inspector Anne Strawson investigates the older boy's story, she uncovers a bizarre nexus of chatroom meetings, mysterious internet identities, supposed spy rings and disturbing cybersex, leading to a stunning conclusion.Loosely inspired by actual events that occured in an English industrial city, Nico Muhly's new opera is a cautionary tale of the dark side of the internet.
Take a trip in the Wayback Machine
Posted at 2:03 PM on May 26, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Funding, Video
How do you get an artist to pay attention to you? Make them laugh.
And that's just what Andy Sturdevant has been doing of late. In honor of Springboard for the Arts 20th anniversary, he's been taking viewers into his magical "Wayback Machine" to see the organization's offerings through a particularly retro lens.
Artifact #1:
Artifact #2:
Springboard for the Arts: Wayback Machine Infomercial from Creative Communties 2011 on Vimeo.
Fans create moving tribute to Johnny Cash
Posted at 9:54 AM on May 25, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Music, People, Video
How do you pay tribute to one of the most revered musicians of all time?
Evidently, you make him a music video.
But in the case of Johnny Cash, it's not just any music video. The Johnny Cash Project takes artwork inspired by actual images of the Man in Black, and then strings them together to the song "Ain't No Grave" to create a massive tribute by thousands of his fans.
The Johnny Cash Project Documentary by Radical Media from Livio Rajh on Vimeo.
The video already has more than enough stills for every frame of the song, but the submissions keep rolling in; now viewers can choose which stills they want to see, using various criteria (most popular, most realistic, most brushstrokes, etc).
Interested in submitting a frame? You can, right here.
Art Hounds tell "Small Tales"
Posted at 5:45 PM on May 13, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Video
Warm greetings to art lovers who appreciate a good story, well told in two minutes or less, and shot on iphone video. We call it "Small Tales."
It's a video series MPR's Art Hounds has launched, featuring our illustrious hounds as the storytellers. Two minutes and out. Funky video backdrops. No campfires needed.
We're having so much fun with "Small Tales," we've created a Vimeo channel to showcase them.
Watch our latest installment:
Small Tales: Record Store Miracle from MPR Art Hounds on Vimeo.
The baggage we carry
Posted at 3:40 PM on April 14, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Culture, Galleries, Sculpture, Video
Still from the film "Detachment," part of Catherine Kennedy's installation "The Baggage We Carry" at Pillsbury House in Minneapolis.
Imagine having to flee your country because of war, move to a completely foreign land where you don't speak the language, and try to survive. How would you keep your sanity?
For artist Catherine Kennedy's grandmother, who fled Liberia's civil war and ended up in Minnesota, the answer came in the form of a regular gathering with other similar women. Each month they came together for what was almost a spiritual ritual, cooking food, singing and sharing stories all night, all dressed in white and thanking God for their salvation.
They appear very poignant about their source of strength, God first and each other. They are each asked to shower prior to joining their peers in the designated space of a gathering. Their use of white clothing per their words goes hand in hand with their belief that God is holy and in order to stand before Him to thank him, one must be cleansed. Further, the color of the fabric signifies purity for them, new beginnings.
Kennedy was fascinated by her grandmother's gatherings with her friends, and the stories of the suffering they endured in Liberia. Many were raped, witnessed the killing of their husbands; their children were kidnapped and forced to become soldiers in the war. What she learned about their lives formed the basis for her body of work "The Baggage We Carry" which is now on display at Obsidian Arts, located in the lobby of Pillsbury House in Minneapolis.
"The Baggage We Carry" at Obsidian Arts
Kennedy says creating this installation was a way for her to grieve the death of her grandmother, while also trying to better understand her.
She was not one to give up easy on anything. Although she was not a literate woman, my memories of her was a courageous and virtuous woman who would do whatever it took to see her children succeed in life. She went from selling crops prior to the war to running transportation and becoming an indigenous governor to her region in her lifetime. The war wiped her to zero forcing her to move not once but several times in other countries seeking refuge before even settling in the USA. In Minneapolis, her confinement to the weather and language barrier and personal struggles with brain injury, depression amongst other health issues did not stop her from co-creating the group.
Some of the images Kennedy creates are distorted stills from videos of these monthly gatherings. Much in the same way a foreigner can't truly understand the rituals of another culture, the viewer can't see clearly what is going on, and only gets hints or glimpses of the event.
In one video installation, called "Detachment," Kennedy removes a number of bandages from her face. She winces in pain as she takes them off her eyes and from her cheeks. It's a striking visual metaphor for how the healing process can in itself be painful, leaving us fragile and tender.
Obisidian Arts director Roderica Southall says Kennedy is one of the most talented emerging artists he knows, carefully presenting her ideas from a number of different angles.
She tenderly tells a really horrific story. It's a delicate way of treating a really serious subject. And one of the results is that it really put into focus the comfort in which the rest of us reside.
Throughout the lobby of Pillsbury House, Kennedy has placed bowls she made for people to pick up and examine. The color of gristle and bone, the bowls are a gruesome reminder of the hunger and suffering of refugees, as well as the spiritual emptiness that is left in the wake of tragedy. Kennedy says if these Liberian women taught her anything, it's that there are no limitations to a person's ability to cope.
Their faces are filled with sweat, their eyes closed, and smiles across their faces create such a strong energy as you stand in their presence. A vibe of sincerity, conviction and sense of purpose simmers in the air as they stand for what they believe. These women evoked for me a sence of sustaining personal worth belonging to a group of tribal women with a common thread... they share language barriers, illiteracy, culture shock, post traumatic stress... and they are able to be joyful about it.
Kennedy says the experience of studying these women has allowed her to look at her own deeper sense of worth and tap into questions surrounding life, death, religion and culture. She says if she wants viewers of her work to take away anything, it's the knowledge that even lives that have been marked with immense pain and trauma can find new hope, beauty and love in the right community.
Catherine Kennedy will give an artist talk tonight at Pillsbury House, and will be joined by art historian Suzanne Roberts and professor Patricia Briggs. "The Baggage We Carry" runs through April 23.
Video break: Atmosphere's "She's enough"
Posted at 3:38 PM on April 12, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Music, Video
Atmosphere's video for its song "She's enough" came out today, and it's just a bundle of kindergarten cuteness. Enjoy!
Jeremy Messersmith on misunderstood lyrics
Posted at 11:08 AM on April 4, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Music, Video, Writing
So on Saturday, Jeremy Messersmith is presenting an evening celebrating songwriters and the craft of writing for music at the Fitzgerald Theater. It's titled "Works for Words."
Sounds like it could be a little earnest in tone, but fear not - the above video is proof that Messersmith plans to have more than a little fun. Enjoy!
Arts 101: Film and Video Lingo
Posted at 12:29 PM on March 29, 2011
by Luke Taylor
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Filed under: Arts 101, Film, Video
"People always ask, 'What's a gaffer? What is a best boy? What is a grip?'" says writer/producer/director Wade Barry. "Those are questions that come up all the time."
Today we'll answer those questions and more as we continue our series explaining unusual words and phrases in the arts by looking at the language of film and video.
Barry, of Minneapolis, has worked as a producer on Hometime, a home-improvement series for PBS. Currently, Barry is working as a writer on the Food Network series Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and he's also in development on a film he'll write and direct for PBS that's based on the life and work of Charles Dickens.
Wade Barry of Minneapolis has worked in nearly every facet of film and video production.
Italian director Marco Amenta -- recently in Minnesota for the Italian Film Festival of Minneapolis/St Paul -- was also interviewed for this post.
Director Marco Amenta (R) was in Minneapolis to introduce and discuss his film, La Siciliana Ribelle (The Sicilian Girl). He was accompanied by his sister, Simonetta Amenta (L), a producer on the film.
gaffer
This term is not quite as perplexing to British film audiences as it is to American ones; in the U.K., a gaffer is common slang for any kind of boss or manager. On a film set, however, the gaffer is the head electrician; i.e. the person in charge of all the lighting on a set.
best boy
"Best boy is the gaffer's right-hand person," Barry says. "It's an assistant, basically. But you don't always have a best boy when it's a small crew. You'll just have a gaffer and electricians."
grip
A grip on a film set is analogous to a stagehand in live theater. In various productions, Barry has worked as a grip, a key grip and a dolly grip. "A grip is somebody on set who sets up equipment," he says. "A dolly grip is specifically in charge of operating the camera dolly if there is one. The key grip is the head grip that all the other grips answer to."
Wade Barry (L) working on a production for the Food Network. (Photo by Julie L. Swanson-Andersen; courtesy Wade Barry)
stinger
On a film or video set, a stinger is an extension cord.
Hollywood
Everyone knows that Hollywood is the film-production hotbed in California or the metaphorical place that is shorthand for the world of major-release motion pictures, but did you know that Hollywood can also be a verb? "If somebody tells you to 'Hollywood' something on a set," Barry explains, "it means don't take the time to put it on a stand, just hold it and hold it where it needs to be."
Barry says the reasons for Hollywooding a light or other piece of equipment range from being in a hurry to working in a space where there isn't room to set up a lot of stands and other gear.
Dutch angle
"A Dutch angle is basically just the camera tilted at a weird angle," Barry chuckles. "The old Batman TV series was famous for that!"
jib arm
A jib arm is a counterweighted beam onto which a camera can be mounted. "They're sort of like a mini-crane," Barry says. "It can swing around through space and give you really interesting moving shots."
Wade Barry operates a camera mounted to a jib arm. (Photo by Jamie Vincent; courtesy Wade Barry)
foot-candle
A foot-candle is a unit of measurement that describes light output. As a director, Barry doesn't get too concerned about foot-candles. "But a directory of photography might be," he says, "because they're dealing with the minutiae of the image, and they want to know how many foot-candles a certain light is putting off."
rack focus
Barry says this technique is used extensively in television and film. A rack focus involves setting up a camera with a limited depth of field, then shifting the focus somewhere else in the scene. "It directs your attention from one object to another," Barry says. "It's very dramatic and visually interesting."
Barry (behind camera, at left) says that rack focuses are more difficult to do on digital cameras because they lack the limited depth-of-field found on film cameras -- although he says the technology is changing to be more like film. (photo by Jamie Vincent; courtesy Wade Barry)
Marco Amenta adds that the construction of images -- through techniques such as rack focus -- speak volumes. "These things express meaning without words or facts," he says. "They talk not to your brain but to your gut."
blooming
This term refers to an effect often seen in old black-and-white films. "In the old days, the way light would bounce around in the emulsion of the film created almost a halo around a brightly lit object," Barry explains. "They used to like to do that in black-and-white films because the actors sometimes, with that lighting, would kind of bloom a little bit and it makes them looks almost angelic."
chiaroscuro
A word the English language borrowed from Italian, chiaroscuro (key-AHR-oh-SKOO-roh) refers to the light and dark within a shot. "As soon as you put light on something," Marco Amenta says, "there is a light zone and there is a dark zone. It's also like life; in life, you have a dark side and a light side."
In Amenta's film, La Siciliana Ribelle (The Sicilian Girl), a young woman finds herself standing up to the Mafia. As the Mafia's pernicious influence intensifies during the course of the film, the scenes get darker. "The audience may not see it directly, but you feel it," Amenta says. "You have to feel this darkness that is all around the protagonist."
Trailer for the U.S. release of The Sicilian Girl. Even in this trailier, note Amenta's use of light and dark -- aka chiaroscuro. (Music Box Films, via YouTube)
honeywagon
A honeywagon is often seen parked near a film set. "That's the RV that the actor stays in," says Wade Barry. "When you're working with celebrities, the star gets his or her own RV, and it's called the honeywagon."
Next Tuesday, we wrap up our series on arts lingo with a look back and a fun quiz.
Video break: "Scattered Light"
Posted at 11:09 AM on March 22, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Video
Last week while talking to Kristin Makholm of the Minnesota Museum of American Art, I learned that for this summer's Northern Spark Festival, the MMAA is bringing a light installation by Jim Campbell to St. Paul. "Scattered Light" which is the subject of the first part of the above video, was a hit in Madison Square Park, where it was intalled for four months. It's comprised of 2,000 LED lights encased in standard lightbulbs. Viewed up close the installation lives up to its name, appearing as simply "scattered lights," but, viewed from a distance, you can actually see images of ghostly figures walking by. The grid of lights become a sort of photograph, with each bulb equalling one pixel. According to the MMAA, "Scattered Light" will be installed on June 4 and remain on view through July, emerging into brilliant view as dusk turns to night each day.
Video break: "Three Fragments of a Lost Tale"
Posted at 2:07 PM on March 18, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Animation, Museums, Sculpture, Video
Three Fragments of a Lost Tale from John Frame on Vimeo.
In March, the Huntington Library in Pasadena opened an exhibition of the sculpture and animation of John Frame. His work is haunting, beautiful, and dreamlike, which makes perfect sense since this latest project came from a dream. I've included three videos in the post - first, the animated film "Three Fragments of a Lost Tale", second, a video of the making of the sculptures and animation (filmed by Johnny Coffeen), and third a story by Southern California Public Radio which includes images from the exhibition. Enjoy!
Happy Medium from Johnny Coffeen on Vimeo.
John Frame: Three Fragments of a Lost Tale from Lauren M. Whaley on Vimeo.
Video break: Dessa's "The Man I Knew"
Posted at 2:28 PM on March 15, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Music, Television, Video
On March 27 MN Original will present a music special featuring local songstress Dessa. She performed an evening of new music in collaboration with other Minnesotans as part of the 416 Club Series at the Cedar Cultural Center, and MN Original recorded the results. This video clip is just a teaser... tune in later this month for the full show, which includes some amazing music made with Mankwe Ndosi.
Video break: Improv Everywhere at Metropolitan Museum of Art
Posted at 3:20 PM on March 10, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Museums, Painting, Video
Yes, he does look in good shape for being 400 years old, doesn't he?
Video break: International Women's Day
Posted at 10:08 AM on March 8, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Criticism, Video
On the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, Dame Judi Dench asks a simple question of Daniel Craig: "are we equal?"
How art can change the world
Posted at 12:54 PM on March 4, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Photography, Public Art, Video
Looking at French street artist JR's work, it's hard not to think of Minnesota's own Wing Young Huie. Take a look at how this grafitti artist turned the street into a gallery, and advocated for peace in places like Palestine and Israel with not much more than a camera, some paper, and glue.
Video break: Colin Covert's Oscar picks
Posted at 11:35 AM on February 27, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Film, Video
Earlier this morning I posted a link to Chris Hewitt's predictions for tonight's Academy Awards. While Hewitt's predictions were in article form, Covert did his on video. So without further ado, here's Covert's take on the Oscars, including who he thinks should win versus who he believes will actually take the little gold guy home.
Video break: The Curse
Posted at 2:03 PM on February 15, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Music, Video
Is it a coincidence that Josh Ritter is playing First Avenue the same weekend the King Tut exhibition opens at the Science Museum? Or is it DESTINY?
"Perennial Plate" goes national
Posted at 11:18 AM on February 4, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Culture, Media, Video
The Perennial Plate Episode 40: Road Kill (Deer in the woods, Deer in the road) from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.
Last March, chef and filmmaker Daniel Klein launched his web-based series "The Perennial Plate" to inspire Minnesotans to look beyond the local farmers' market for sourcing their food close to home.
Over the past year The Perennial Plate has showcased everything from community gardens to road kill, with a heavy emphasis on the carnivorous diet. Klein's harvested wild rice and morel mushrooms, tapped maple syrup tried his hand at spear fishing, and even learned how to kill a squirrel and eat it.
Well all his hard work and adventure has paid off. The web-based news site Huffington Post has agreed to syndicate the series, and officially welcomed it to the site yesterday, stating "there will be knives, there will be blood, there will be guts, and it will be fascinating and captivating."
Video break: Why We're Here
Posted at 3:35 PM on February 1, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Video
Why We're Here: Twin Cities from Seven and Sixty Productions on Vimeo.
This video has been forwarded about by several friends on Facebook, and once you see it I think you'll understand why. Produced by sevenandsixtyproductions.com with Minnesota Culture Club, the video is a mini-quest to find out why Twin Citians endure the harsh winters here over warmer, more hospitable climates.
The result is a romantic tribute to the place we call home... that just happened to be filmed on a warm summer night. It also features an original score by John Munson of the New Standards.
Oh and of course, the arts figure in many people's explanations.
Enjoy! And if you're inspired, share why you're staying put in the Twin Cities.
Video Break: A Poet Poets
Posted at 11:24 AM on January 25, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Film, Minnesota Poets, Poetry, Video
"I don't want you to understand my poetry. I want my poetry to understand you." --Roy McBride
POETRY is one poem in a film about Roy McBride called A POET POETS. Directed by Media Mike Hazard, the world premiere will be at Intermedia Arts this Sunday with shows at 3pm and 4pm. Enjoy the words and the music!
Video break: Untitled 101
Posted at 12:00 PM on January 18, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Music, Video
If you haven't heard, 89.3 The Current is releasing an all local compilation of studio recordings, pulled from The Local Show's best live performances. The cd will be given away at the Current's 6th birthday party, and will be available for sale after that.
Peter Wolf Crier's "Untitled 101" made the cut; here's the entire track list -
Track List:
1. Jeremy Messersmith -- "Organ Donor"
2. Trampled by Turtles -- "Victory"
3. Peter Wolf Crier -- "Untitled 101"
4. Dessa -- "The Chaconne"
5. Romantica -- "How To Feel"
6. Roma di Luna -- "Miss You Too"
7. Eyedea & Abilities -- "This Story"
8. Red Pens -- "Hung Out"
9. Rogue Valley -- "Rockaway"
10. The Arms Akimbo -- "You Want To"
11. Communist Daughter -- "Not The Kid"
12. Charlie Parr -- "Where You Gonna Be (When the Good Lord Calls You Home)?"
13. STNNNG -- "The Howling Man"
14. Lazerbeak -- "Salt and Sea"
15. Spaghetti Western String Co. -- "Douglas Pending"
16. Caroline Smith and Jesse Schuster -- "Tying my Shoes"
17. The Twilight Hours -- "Dreams"
Video break: Eric Power's animation
Posted at 1:03 PM on January 12, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Music, Video
There's something so wonderfully satisfying about low-tech animation, especially when it's surrounded by a world filled with high-tech glitz and showy special effects.
Eric Power's videos are just that - simple, paper cut animations that create a whole world of their own, and give the accompanying music an even greater sense of innocence and wonder.
This is not the first time I've posted an Eric Power animated video - he's created many popular videos for local musician Jeremy Messersmith, including Tattooine, Organ Donor and A Boy, A Girl and A Graveyard. Here's a video Power animated for Cloud Cult, Running With The Wolves.
Cloud Cult - Running with the Wolves from Eric Power on Vimeo.
What improv does to your brain
Posted at 12:03 PM on January 5, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Education, Music, Video
Here's a post for jazz lovers, rappers and science geeks alike. Researcher Charles Limb gives us a tour of our frontal lobes when reciting memorized music versus improvising new music. The process involved creating a keyboard that could be played while the musician was simultaneously undergoing a brain scan (lying down, in cramped quarters). Stick with the talk to find out just how improvisation is linked to communication skills, and to hear Limb himself give rapping a try.
Video Break: The Current's top 89 of 2010
Posted at 2:21 PM on January 4, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Music, Video
To mark the end of the year, the staff at 89.3 The Current played the top 89 songs of 2010, as voted by the listeners. So for this week's video break, I thought I'd treat you to some of the videos for those songs, with an emphasis on local winners. Enjoy!
1.Dog Days Are Over - Florence and the Machine (not a local group, but you can see why they got the #1 spot)
4. Wait So Long - Trampled by Turtles
10. Dixon's Girl - Dessa
16. You'll Be Bright - Cloud Cult
19. The Chaconne - Dessa
30. The Best Day - Atmosphere
34. A Girl, A Boy and A Graveyard - Jeremy Messersmith
So what was your top song of 2010? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
MN poetry: Robert Bly's "Call and Answer"
Posted at 3:18 PM on January 10, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Minnesota Poets, Poetry, Video
Once I heard Robert Bly read his own poetry, I couldn't help but hear it again in my head as I read his words. Rough and melodic at the same time, his voice has become for me an integral part of his work.
So thanks to local filmmaker Mike Hazard, here's a clip of Bly reciting his poem "Call and Answer."
And while I'm on the subject of poetry, I thought it worth pointing it out that the "MN Poets" archive on State of the Arts is now one year deep, and I have yet to repeat the work of any one poet. That's 54 poets and counting! So, when you have a moment, peruse the archive to see what a fine collection of poetry we've built. And if you have some ideas on poets you think should appear on the Monday "Minnesota Poetry" post, let me know.
Video break: "Pigeon: Impossible"
Posted at 12:21 PM on December 28, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Video
Life is short - so watch short films:
Pigeon: Impossible from Lucas Martell on Vimeo.
Video break: on the back stairs with Cantus
Posted at 4:16 PM on December 21, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Architecture, Music, Video
When you work for a radio station, you tend to notice the acoustics of the space you're in. So it wasn't long after MPR staffers moved into our expanded digs in downtown Saint Paul that folks began to take note of the back stairwell. I once caught classical host Jeff Esworthy practicing his sitar there, and other enthusiasts even started a series of lunchtime stairwell concerts by MPR talent - accordians, violins, you name it.
Yep, that's right - we have world class studios in our building, and yet we've fallen in love with a bare, cold section of the building most people never see.
So it was no surprise when I heard that MPR's Marc Sanchez was taking our "musicians-in- residence," Cantus, to the back stairs. It might seem like some sort of arcane punishment ('hey guys, thanks for the free holiday concert in the UBS Forum, now could you come over here for a minute? oh and bring your sweaters'), but true to their enthusiastic form, the men of Cantus were pretty impressed, and filled the MPR stairwell with beautiful rich sound. Take a listen - and a peek - for yourself:
Video Break: Happy Holidays
Posted at 11:45 AM on December 21, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Video
Happy Holidays from DANIELS on Vimeo.
Imagine Howard Zinn telling the story of Christmas; it wouldn't be the sappy, happy ending in which we all got what we wanted... no, it would be the story of the downtrodden presents, plundered and ripped to shreds with no thought to fair wages, quality wrapping or voters rights. The Daniels, aka Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, offer you "The Presents' History of the Holidays." Vive la Revolution!
Walker Art Center stokes "Fire in my Belly"
Posted at 8:50 AM on December 15, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Museums, Video
Walker Art Center Director Olga Viso traveled to D.C. earlier this week to tour the National Portrait Gallery's exhibition Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture. The exhibition is the ongoing source of controversy, after public reaction to the video "Fire in my Belly" prompted the Smithsonian to pull the video from the exhibition.
Viso, a former Smithsonian curator and museum director (of the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden), says the Walker will screen various versions of the film "Fire in my Belly" daily at the Walker Art Center later this week (see update below), pending arrangements with the artist's estate. In a statement on the Walker's website, Viso says:
Hide/Seek was organized by the NPG to "show how art has reflected changing attitudes toward sexual identity"... In every regard, the [National Portrait Gallery] should be applauded for organizing, mounting, and presenting this groundbreaking, scholarly exhibition and supporting the curators' well argued thesis that a powerful artistic and cultural legacy has been "hidden in plain sight for more than a century." Yet the NPG's and Smithsonian's surprising decision to remove a key work from the exhibition a month after its opening undermines this thesis as well as the premise and curatorial integrity of the exhibition in alarming ways. Indeed this action serves to sublimate or "hide" the very thing the exhibition attempts to make visible.
Last week the American Association of Museum Directors Association of Art Museum Directors, under the leadership of Minneapolis Institute of Arts' Kaywin Feldman, also condemned the actions of the Smithsonian.
The video in question, it should be noted, is easily found on YouTube:
Update: The Walker will screening the film beginning tomorrow through December 30 from 11:30-noon in the Lecture Room; and on Thursday evenings at 8:30 pm. It will be screening the original 11-minute film and the artist's excerpted 7-minute version, as well as the 4-minute version that was shown as part of the National Portrait Gallery exhibition.
Video break: "Scattered flurries"
Posted at 11:38 AM on November 30, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Video
[scattered flurries] from felt soul media on Vimeo.
I admit it - as I got off the plane yesterday evening after a lovely vacation with family in Arizona, I felt a certain amount of dread. Even though I've lived half my life in Minnesota, I still feel like a stranger in a strange land when the temperature dips below 32F.
So as I searched for artsy videos for this week's video break, this lovely tribute to snow and skiing caught my eye. For all my transplant friends, here's a reminder of just how wonderful winter can be.
Video break: Sister Wendy
Posted at 11:30 AM on November 23, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Video
Perhaps no single person has done more for art education than the South African born nun Sister Wendy. I was reminded of her last week while talking to artist Leslie Holt, who plays Sister Wendy videos in her art appreciation class.
Dressed in a habit, her head shorn, and speaking with a lisp created by her very large front teeth, Sister Wendy speaks with a passion for great art and beauty that is immediately engaging and even contagious.
Take a moment to check our her take on a broken bust at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and see if you aren't compelled to check out her other work.
Video break: C. Beck
Posted at 2:41 PM on November 16, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Arts around the state, Printmaking, Video
Last week I paid a visit to Fergus Falls, home to wood block artist Charles Beck. Then, while in Fargo-Moorhead, I stumbled across this lovely interview with Beck at the Rourke Art Gallery, created by Twin Cities documentary team Mike Hazard and Deborah Wallwork. Take a 7 minute break and get to know Beck's way of looking at the world just a little bit better.
MN Original episode #214
Posted at 1:30 PM on November 12, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Television, Video
If you missed last night's episode of MN Original on TPT, give yourself 30 minutes to catch up. Here's what's on:
Photographer Alec Soth's first U.S. survey of his compelling images premieres at Walker Art Center.
Bounxou Duoheuang, originally from Laos, preserves her culture's traditional art of weaving.
In the late nineteen seventies, The Twin Cities' first punk rockers were also among the first on the on the national scene. The Suicide Commandos perform.
Plus: Plein air painter Joe Paquet.
Video break: Latino arts
Posted at 2:05 PM on November 9, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Film, Television, Video
This past weekend Twin Cities Public Television screened a new documentary on Latino artists working in Minnesota. Latino Arts: A Community Vision features twelve artists, including such local luminaries as Doug Padilla, Maria Isa and Sandra Benitez, talking about the importance of heritage, culture, education and multigenerational relationships.
If you missed it, you're forgiven, because you have another chance to see it coming up on Sunday, November 14th on TPT's Life Channel (2.3) at noon, or you can watch the entire show here.
Video break: "Myth and Infrastructure"
Posted at 11:30 AM on November 3, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Animation, Media, Storytelling, Technology, Video
Miwa Matreyek creates performances where real shapes and virtual images trade places, amid layers of animation, video and live bodies. Using animation, projections and her own moving shadow, Miwa Matreyek performs a gorgeous, meditative piece about inner and outer discovery. The piece Matreyek performed at TEDGlobal 2010 is an abridgement of the work "Myth and Infrastructure." Take a quiet 10 minutes and dive in. With music from Anna Oxygen, Mirah, Caroline Lufkin and Mileece.
Video break: Carlos Amorales
Posted at 3:03 PM on November 2, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Animation, Galleries, People, Video
Last week I took a look at Highpoint Center for Printmaking's show of prints by Carlos Amorales. Amorales is better known for his stencils and animation, and has actually created a digital library of images he uses for everything from album covers to installations to videos. Check out the above interview with him at his studio, and see clips from some of his animated works, including "Manimal."
Video break: TSU HEIDEI SHUGAXTUTAAN
Posted at 11:30 AM on October 26, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Culture, Dance, Museums, Video
"Tsu Heidei Shugaxtutaan part 1"
A contemporary break dance inspired piece, danced to a traditional First Nation soundtrack. Performance by David Elsewhere.
As I mentioned on Friday, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts' new exhibition of Native American art is particularly compelling because of the way it intersperses video throughout the galleries.
One screen shows two videos in rotation, and it's their juxtaposition which is fascinating. The first shows a modern hip-hop dancer performing to a traditional First Nation soundtrack. The second video shows a traditional dance, but now the music is a modern electronic beat. Together they're titled "Tsu Heidei Shugaxtutaan: We will again open this container of wisdom that has been left in our care."
The creator of both videos, Nicholas Galanin, was born in Sitka, Alaska and his career as an artist has simultaneously taken on the preservation of his native heritage along with an exploration of cutting edge contemporary ideas.
The viewer is led to question "what is modern?" and "what is traditional?" all the while remarking upon how the different music and movement actually pair quite well together.
"Tsu Heidei Shugaxtutaan part 2"
A convergence of two dynamic forces meet as electro-beats pound to the steps of a traditional dance, performance by Dan Littlefield.
Video break: Coachelleta
Posted at 10:55 AM on October 19, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Music, Video
Coachelletta from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.
If you're a musichead you probably already know about Coachella, the annual music festival out in Indio, California. It features an amazing playground of stages and fun activities, and for a day each year, thousands of music lovers congregate like ants over a forgotten danish (weird metaphor, you think? check out the video, I say).
Today's video break is a music video tribute to the festival, which does an amazing job of capturing the energy, the people, and the fun. And I'm guessing it was a major editing challenge - the festival took place in April, but was only posted to Vimeo this month. Thanks to colleague Steve Mullis for the tip!
Jeremy Messersmith goes viral
Posted at 11:33 AM on October 12, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Music, Video
So imagine my suprise as I'm browsing Time's website and stumble across local musician Jeremy Messersmith under the headline "Top 5 Viral Videos of the Week."
Sure enough, the video for his song "Tatooine" features a paper cut-out synopsis of the entire Star Wars trilogy, by animator/filmmaker Eric Power, and who can resist that?
Messersmith is among the more savvy internet users in the music world, allowing people to "pay what they choose" for downloads of his songs. And TODAY, at 1:30pm Central Time, he's streaming a live performance on his website.
If you prefer in-the-flesh concerts to the digital experience, Messersmith is performing at the Cedar Cultural Center on November 27.
Guthrie to screen six high-def London productions
Posted at 12:05 PM on October 6, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Technology, Theater, Video
Evidently the Guthrie Theater is enjoying its role as a high-quality art cinema. The theater has re-upped its partnership with the National Theatre in London, and will broadcast six of the NT's productions in the coming performance calendar. They are as follows:
Saturday, November 6 at 1 p.m.
Complicite's A Disappearing Number
Directed by Simon McBurney
A Disappearing Number weaves together the story of two love affairs, separated by a century and a continent. The first happens now. The second is set in 1914. It tells of the heartbreaking collaboration between the greatest natural mathematician of the 20th century, Srinivasa Ramanujan, a penniless Brahmin from Madras in South India, and his British counterpart, the brilliant Cambridge don GH Hardy
Thursday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Shakespeare's Hamlet
Directed by Nicholas Hytner
Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, sees his father's ghost. Tormented with loathing and consumed by grief, he must avenge his father's murder. What he cannot foresee is the destruction that ensues.
Thursday, January 27 at 7:30 p.m.
FELA!
Using his pioneering music (a blend of jazz, funk and African rhythm and harmonies), FELA! reveals Fela Kuti's controversial life as an artist and political activist while featuring many of his songs and choroegrapher Bill T. Jones' staging.
Monday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Donmar Warehouse presents Shakespeare's King Lear
Directed by Michael Grandage, and featuring Derek Jacobi in the title role.
An aging monarch. A kingdom divided. A child's love rejected. As Lear's world descends into chaos, all that he once believed is brought into question. One of the greatest works in western literature, King Lear explores the very nature of human existence: love and duty, power and loss, good and evil.
Sunday, April 3 at 1 p.m.
Danny Boyle's production of Frankenstein
A play by Nick Dear based on the novel by Mary Shelley
Oscar winner Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) returns to his theater roots with a new adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Boyle is making his debut at the National Theatre directing Nick Dear's play as a "large-scale and theatrically and visually ambitious stage production."
Monday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard
Directed by Howard Davies
The Gaev family face bankruptcy and the loss of their estate. Even so, they refuse to sell their largest asset, their famous cherry orchard. The old world is giving way to the new, but the Gaevs seem not to have noticed the bewildering changes in the Russian way of life. The fate of the beautiful orchard becomes a symbol of the fate of all of the characters in this classic masterpiece.
Tickets for all performances are $20.
NT Live's first season was seen by over 150,000 people on 320 screens in 22 countries. Outside of the Guthrie Theater, the closest venues for Minnesotans to check out the NT productions are in Thunder Bay(Canada), Winnipeg(Canada), Lincoln(Nebraska) and Ann Arbor(Michigan).
Video break: bodies in urban spaces
Posted at 9:58 AM on October 12, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Dance, Video
Willi Dorner's choreography is about making people see their world in a different way. Most of us walk or drive around the city without giving much thought to the buildings around us, because we see them everyday. And we tend to interact with the urban environment in preditable ways; we sit on benches, we walk through doorways, and we stand at bus stops.
But what if we didn't?
Based in Vienna, Dorner recently brought his unique brand of choreography to New York City. The above video is from a performance done in Philadelphia in 2008.
What I want to know is, when is his troupe coming to Minnesota?
Video break: Under Pressure
Posted at 8:46 AM on October 5, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Video
Today's video comes from a tip-off on Facebook from co-worker Steve Seel. It's a passionate performance involving two Kermit the Frog puppets and a man who appears to be homeless (forgive me for being cautious, but I've learned not trust everything I see on the internet). FYI the Kermit on the left is playing the part of David Bowie, and the one on the right is Freddie Mercury.
Video break: "Between"
Posted at 2:51 PM on September 28, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Video
Between from Via Grafik on Vimeo.
I'm a big fan of scary stories - not gory but haunting - that imply something exists at the back of your mind that is just beyond your ability to figure it out. Usually that something is a conspiracy, or an afterlife, or some other world that exists parallel to ours. Safe to say, the above video caught me about three seconds in, and held my attention solidly for the next five minutes; that's not easy in our hyper-distracted world. How does it do it? By giving you just a hint of a story line, powerful visuals, innocence paired with horror, and a fast pace. Hold on, and press play.
Video break: ping pong passion
Posted at 3:03 PM on September 21, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Video
PONG from California is a place. on Vimeo.
I'm happy to debate whether or not table tennis is an art form. But for me the art in the above video is the storytelling itself. This piece has exceptional visuals, wonderful interviewees and a sense of humor. Now why don't we have more reporting like this on TV?
Will live performance lose out to technology?
Posted at 12:57 PM on September 14, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Media, Technology, Video
In a world where we can watch movies from the comfort of our own homes for pennies and assemble personalized soundtracks in a tool the size of our thumb, how likely is it people will continue to attend live theater and music? Not only must one contend with the price of tickets, but then there's parking, babysitting, fighting traffic and the fact that the show might not be as great as hoped. With such odds stacked against them, it seems only inevitable that the performing arts will fade as instant entertainment continues to become more readily available.
Not so, says Ben Cameron, Arts Program Director at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in New York. In this empassioned speech, Cameron points to the performing arts role in helping technology to succeed, and economies to thrive.
The performing arts are going to be more important to the economy as we move forward, especially in industries we can't even imagine yet, just as they have been central to the ipod and the computer game industry, which few if any of us could have foreseen 10 to 15 years ago. Business leadership will depend more and more on emotional intelligence, the ability to listen deeply, to have empathy, to articulate change, to motivate others - the very capacities that the arts cultivate with every encounter.
Especially now, as we all must confront the fallacy of a market-only orientation uninformed by social conscience we must sieze and celebrate the power of the arts to shape our individual and national characters. ...The arts, whatever they do, whenever they call us together, invite us to look at our fellow human being with generosity and curiosity. God knows if we have every needed that capacity in human history, we need it now.
Video break: Up and Over It
Posted at 8:44 AM on September 14, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Dance, Video
Performed and choreographed by Suzanne Cleary & Peter Harding
Film by Jonny Reed
Music: Yolanda Be Cool & D Cup ft. Cleary & Harding
Suzanne Cleary & Peter Harding first met while on the Irish Dance competition circuit. At 17 the couple were head-hunted by Riverdance, and after only six months were chosen to lead the show as the productions' youngest ever understudies.
Cleary and Harding, while excellent Irish dancers, tired of the same old routine over and over again. And so, inspired by hip-hop theatre, contemporary dance and electro-pop, Cleary and Harding have created their own take on the Irish dance show format. Together they call themselves Up and Over It.
You can find lots of clips of these two on YouTube, such as the above piece in which they manage to dance a duet without ever leaving their chairs.
Video Break: The Beat of New York
Posted at 8:28 AM on September 7, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Video
THE BEAT OF NEW YORK from tim hahne on Vimeo.
How do you capture the personality of a city?
Step 1: Grab a video camera and hit the streets with open eyes.
Step 2: If you're lucky, find a street musician who plays a mean beat.
Step 3: Post-production, post-production, post-production.
Enjoy this three minute ode to the streets of New York City... and I challenge our local videographers to create their own portraits of the Twin Cities... Send me a tribute and I'll post it here.
Video Break: The 3rd and the 7th
Posted at 8:44 AM on August 31, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Film, Video
The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.
This charming film is reminiscent of Magritte on a tour of great buildings, in a universe devoid of any other people. Created by Alex Roman, the twelve and a half minute homage to line and form is almost entirely made with CGI (computer generated imagery). Throughout the course of the piece, Roman plays with ideas of light, wind and water, all to captivating effect.
For the full impact, follow the link back to the video's home page on Vimeo and hit the "fullscreen" option. That's unfortunately unavailable in the public version.
Video break: Big Bang Big Boom
Posted at 9:45 AM on August 24, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Video
BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.
If you've got ten minutes to spare, I urge you to check out this compelling stop-animation film by BLU.
Think of it as a predator/prey look at evolution, from the very beginnings of life, to a possible endgame scenario. But what really makes this piece come to life is how it makes use of buildings, beaches and sidewalks as canvases for its large-scale epic story.
Enjoy!
Video break: Folies d'Espagne
Posted at 10:05 AM on August 17, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Dance, Film, Video
I'm often left a little empty after watching video of dance productions; for me they often fail to capture the raw energy and intense physicality of a production. Perhaps that's because so often the camera sits at a distance, trying to capture everything at once, rather than diving in to explore certain exquisite moments.
Not so with this short film. In just five minutes "Folies D'Espagne" uses a Baroque sense of style to set the scene for an exploration of contemporary issues of sexuality and class, creating a modern "Dangerous Liaisons" storyline. The piece is choreographed by Austin McCormick, and the film received a jury prize nomination at the 2008 Dance on Camera Festival.
Video break: German street life in miniature
Posted at 1:34 PM on August 10, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Design, Film, Media, Video
Tumblingerstraße from yo man on Vimeo.
Need a little break from your afternoon slump? Check out this charming short film by a Munich design student (on Vimeo the student simply lists himself as "yo man"). The combination of music, stop animation, and tag art shows an impressive attention to detail, and works together to create a compelling scene. Enjoy!
Video Break: Between Bears
Posted at 12:29 PM on August 3, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Video
Between Bears from Eran Hilleli on Vimeo.
Sometimes an art video only hints at a storyline, and lets your imagination do the rest. Such is the case with "Between Bears" by Eran Hilleli. I found this short and sweet film on Vimeo - apparently it was Hilleli's graduation film from Bezalel Academy. Enjoy, and let me know what you think of it. Is it a love story? A creation myth? Does it matter?
Battling cancer through dance
Posted at 11:50 AM on June 22, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Dance, Video
As a choreographer and performer, Renowned classical Indian dancer Ananda Shankar Jayant uses dance to talk about gender issues, mythology and philosophy. When Jayant was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, she decided not only to fight the disease but to dance her way through it. In this TED Talk, Jayant discusses her journey and gives a performance expressing the strength that helped her do it.
Interested in learning more about classical Indian dance, and its modern incarnations? We have two great companies in the Twin Cities, Ragamala Dance and Ananya Dance Theatre.
Seeing Red
Posted at 12:05 PM on June 1, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Animation, Video
Red from Hyunjoo Song on Vimeo.
It's gorgeous out. This is not a time for too much serious thinking. And so, for your pleasure, I present a little distraction. Third year CalArts film student Hyunjoo Song created this lovely alternate version of Red Riding Hood, and I think you'll find it quite charming.
Your Tuesday afternoon video break
Posted at 4:30 PM on April 27, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Video
Happy Spring!
I went trawling through Vimeo's staff picks looking for something artful, and found this lovely tribute to the season by Bill Newsinger. And isn't nature the most beautiful art there is?
Enjoy...
Memory One from Bill on Vimeo.
Huck Finn takes on Macbeth
Posted at 3:39 PM on April 1, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Theater, Video
They say plagiarism is the finest form of flattery; how about satire?
Minneapolis Musical Theatre, in the video trailer for its latest show "Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" seems to be going for a more Shakespearean feel. In fact, the trailer distinctly resembles the Guthrie Theater's trailer for "Macbeth." Take a look for yourself.
Here's the Guthrie's trailer:
And here's the Minneapolis Musical Theatre's trailer:
Exploring Minnesota food culture
Posted at 2:37 PM on March 16, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Culture, Video
Perennial Plate Trailer HD from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.
As many of us are starting our seeds for our summer vegetable gardens, and are eagerly waiting the return of bountifully stocked farmers' markets, Chef and filmmaker Daniel Klein is launching a video series to inspire Minnesotans to even greater locavore heights.
Starting next week, The Perennial Plate website will offer video installments of Klein's exploration of Minnesota food culture.
Klein's well suited to the task; he has trained to cook professionally and worked in several premiere restaurants (Thomas Keller's Bouchon, for one). He's also pursued a career in film, including directing "What are we doing here?" a look at how aid has failed to help nations in Africa emerge from poverty.
I decided to make [the perennial plate] in an attempt to combine my three passions... food, film and creating positive change in this world. More and more, what we eat is of paramount importance, and as I live in the Midwest, I've decided to make this show about the way I would like to eat here.
The Perennial Plate series will take viewers not only to cheese-makers, maple syrup producers, and CSA farmers, but will also accompany wild-ricers, hunters, and ice-fishermen -- to show how one can eat conscientiously in Minnesota.
Klein will cook up some of what he harvests, too. In conjunction with the series, Klein is also hosting "Harvest Dinners," celebrating the food of the season. Proceeds from the dinners, which take place at a nearby farm or Klein's home, benefit the series.
Videos with an art
Posted at 11:35 AM on March 5, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Video
Every once in a while I like to check out vimeo's staff picks section - it's a lot easier than scouring the entire site myself, and they usually have an eye for not only great video, but great art. Below you'll see a few of the ones I liked most (Warning: they may take a little while to load; I recommend hitting play, and then hitting pause and waiting until the grey bar is full).
SOUR / 日々の音色 (Hibi no Neiro) MV from Magico Nakamura on Vimeo.
This music video is a great example of how bands are connecting directly with their fans, as well as the power of a webcam. I can't imagine just how much work it took to choreograph this whole piece, but it's worth it for the joy of watching.
JESS3 / The State of The Internet from JESS3 on Vimeo.
This may seem like more of a statistics report than an art video, but what I loved is how the videographer/graphicdesigner used images and pacing to help us digest the information more easily, and to make the numbers come alive. There are some really interesting facts in here, too, including the rather frustrating statistic that 80% of e-mail is spam. Yikes!
In-Between Ends from Alex Glawion on Vimeo.
Alex Glawion's animated piece is compelling proof of how simple gestures and hints at a plot line can inspire our imagination and our emotions. "In-Between Ends" feels in many ways like the short film "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce. Beautifully filmed and scored, I was left wanting to learn - and see - more.
Enjoy!
The poetry and life of Cold Mountain
Posted at 4:01 PM on January 1, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Poetry, Video
Han Shan as depicted by Soga Sho-haku
Image courtesy of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Perhaps you're looking to start fresh this new year, to shrug off some old baggage and simplify your life, to gain a deeper clarity of why you're really on this earth.
In that case, you might want to check out a documentary that airs this Sunday at 10pm on TPT2. It's called "Cold Mountain."
Co-created by Mike Hazard and Deb Wallwork, the half-hour film is a look at the mysterious Chinese poet Han Shan, or "Cold Mountain" (no one knows his birth name - he took the name of the place where he lived). Han Shan lived in the Tang Dynasty, about 1200 years ago, but his words feel reminischent of someone seeking refuge from our harried 21st century lives:
In my first thirty years of lifeI roamed hundreds and thousands of miles.
Walked by rivers through deep green grass
Entered cities of boiling red dust.
Tried drugs, but couldn't make Immortal;
Read books and wrote poems on history.
Today I'm back at Cold Mountain:
I'll sleep by the creek and purify my ears.
- Han Shan poem, translated by Gary Snyder
According to lore, Han Shan wrote poems for everyone, not just on paper but on trees and stone walls. His words were void of witty intellectual references that many poets of the day used to show off their learning. He was a friend of the local monks, but did not live among them. Instead he preffered the caves in the mountainside.
I settled at Cold Mountain long ago,Already it seems like years and years.
Freely drifting, I prowl the woods and streams
And linger watching things themselves.
Men don't get this far into the mountains,
White clouds gather and billow.
Thin grass does for a mattress,
The blue sky makes a good quilt.
Happy with a stone under head
Let heaven and earth go about their changes.
- Han Shan poem, translated by Gary Snyder
Hazard and Wallwork deftly capture both the fast paced noisy life of a Chinese city, filled both with the exotic (a bowl of live scorpions) and the ever-familiar (a small baby's smile).
The film takes its viewers on a pilgrimage to Cold Mountain itself, interspersed with the words of Han Shan's modern-day fans (poets Gary Snyder, Jim Lenfestey, Burton Watson, and Red Pine). And on the pilgrimage we meet "the butterfly woman," someone who appears to be almost a spiritual descendant of Han Shan himself, choosing not to speak or write, but only smile and welcome all who journey to Cold Mountain.
An interesting twist in the documentary is the use of animated cartoons by John Akre. Akre takes the words of Han Shan's poetry and sets them to images that are strikingly familiar to a Twin Cities audience. When Han Shan speaks of all those who've fallen in battle, there's an image of the Fort Snelling Cemetary. When he speaks of battles and power, we see a colorized image of police officers in riot gear outside the St. Paul Excel Center during the Republican National Convention. Han Shan may have lived 12 centuries ago, but his words ring true even today.
Cold Mountain airs Sunday night at 10pm on TPT2. It will be rebroadcast on January 9 at 9pm on TPTMN.
"Heavy Sleepers" - the China you don't see
Posted at 5:39 PM on December 17, 2009
by Euan Kerr
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Film, Museums, Video
"Heavy Sleepers" by Zhao Liang, now on display at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. (Images courtesy WAC)
There's a danger that you suck the life out of a video installation by describing it. With that caveat let me suggest that a few minutes spent with Zhao Liang's "Heavy Sleepers" which opens this evening at the Walker Art Center is time well spent.
Zhao is a Beijing-based artist who captures on video the parts of China people in the West rarely if ever get to see, even by travelling to China.
"Heavy Sleepers" is a two-channel video installation, displayed along opposite walls in one of the Walker galleries. They are long tracking shots taken inside a workers dormitory.
One channel (immediately above) shows the dorm filled with sleeping workers. They lie side-by-side sleeping fully clothed among the detritus of their everyday existance. These are workers brought in to help with Beijing's building boom. Hard hats, eating utensils, and water bottles lie strewn about the rough wooden pallets where the exhausted men slump against dirty cushions. Are they heavy with sleep or heavy with responsibility?
The other (top of the post) shows the same dorm, now empty of sleepers, although many of the same utensils and bottles sit in the same place. The workers are gone, but it's not clear if it is just to work, or whether they have gone forever. Apparently these construction workers cannot get permits to live in the already crowded metropolis.
The piece is disorienting, not least because the images on walls keep tracking together so you feel you are moving, even if you are standing quite still. This cognitive dissonance is heightened by the apparent disappearance of the people. There is also the sense you are trespassing on these sleepers, who are unaware of the eyes upon them. Yet for all this it is hard to stop watching, at least for a while as the panorama moves on by.
Another of Zhao's works "Narrative Landscape," (left) is displayed on a flat-screen TV in an adjoining gallery.
It is footage shot of the Great Wall of China, in the spots where the tourists don't get to go. These are parts where time and the elements have cracked and bowed the walls, sometimes spilling bricks across the grass much like the personal items in the workers dorm. As the video progresses the snow begins to fall, and the stark bulk of the wall blends into the scenery. Sometimes it seems almost organic, like a vine or a skeleton stretched across the ground. Sometimes, as in the picture at left, you have to really stare to pick out the wall at all.
It's a meditation on the huge task of building the Great Wall, which took countless workers, the predecessors of the heavy sleepers, centuries to complete. Huge effort went into maintainance too, but clearly, even as the snow swirls around and coats the rubble, that work has been abandoned.
Walker Film and Video Curator Sheryl Mousley first met Zhao Liang a few years ago when she visited China. She says his documentary work then was much more "MTV-like," cutting quickly between the images. Now his work has taken on the more contemplative aspect displayed in these two pieces.
Mousley has invited Zhao to visit the Walker in the news year, and he will present two of his films.
"Petition-The Court of the Complainants" premiered at Cannes this year, and follows some of the people who come from all over China to Beijing to lodge complaints about the local authorities where they live. The process can take months, and they complainants live in make-shift shelters as they wait, facing intimidation from the people about who they are complaining.
"Crime and Punishment" is Zhao's film about the guards working the border between China and North Korea, a place swarming with people, some looking for help, and some a quick profit. The films will screen on the weekend of January 29th.
Zhao will do a gallery talk about "Heavy Sleepers" on January 30th.
An audience with the Boondock Saints
Posted at 2:33 PM on November 12, 2009
by Euan Kerr
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Film, People, Video
It was a strange night at the Mall of America last evening. "Twilight Saga:New Moon" fans filled the rotunda for the appearance by Edi Gathegi and Jamie Campbell Bower. Meanwhile upstairs in the movie theater a wondrous collection of pumped-up Boondock Saints fans were howling at the arrival of director Troy Duffy and star Sean Patrick Flanery (pictured above.)
Duffy and Flanery came to introduce "Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day," and to grow the legend of one of the stranger film stories in recent years.
In case you missed it, here's the thumbnail: in the late 1990's Troy Duffy became a Hollywood hot property because of his "Boondock" script. The story of a pair of gun-toting Irish vigilantes blasting Boston baddies seemed ideal for studios eager to build on the success of "Pulp Fiction." He got a huge advance from Miramax, a budget for his film which he was also to direct.
Then things went south real fast.
Duffy alienated Miramax with his behavior, and the studio pulled out. He also had agreed to let some friends make a film of his experience in the Hollywood limelight, and when things went bad it got captured on film. The resulting documentary "Overnight" portrayed Duffy as an egomaniacal bully. Duffy made his film on half the budget he's had from Miramax, but then found in post-Columbine days no distribution company would touch a movie about a pair of black coat clad guys shooting people. The film opened briefly on a handful of screens, got ripped by critics, and that appeared to be that.
However as Duffy and Flanery told the MOA crowd, that's when the Boondock fanbase began kicking in. As the film appeared in video stores it began to attract fans who made sure their friends all saw it. Then they in turn turned on their friends. Official estimates say about $50 million worth of discs have sold over the years since. Duffy and Flanery toss around much larger numbers than that.
Now after a decade, and lawsuits, and a lot of other strange stuff the Boondock Saints are back, and judging by the reception the movie got from the Minnesota crowd it's not a moment too soon.
The Troy Duffy who appeared in the movie theater was not a monster. In fact, while he does delight in the use of expletives, he was thoughtful, and even charming in a blunt kind of way. Flanery was also clearly having a ball, and described making Boondock 2 as the best experience he ever had making a film, with Boondock 1 being the second.
"It was like they gave a bunch of blue collar dudes the keys to Hollywood," he proclaimed at one point.
After the q and a and a signing where the Boondocks posed for dozens of pictures, they sat down with me for a long chat. We'll air some of it tomorrow evening.
As they left, I mentioned the Twilight Saga folks were there too.
"So who would win in a fight?" I had to ask. "The Boondock Saints or the vampires and the werewolves?"
Sean Patrick Flanery smiled back and said, "I could take five of them myself."
Is a bird? Is it a plane? Is it art? Is it insanity?
Posted at 12:32 PM on September 7, 2009
by Euan Kerr
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Video
Spend a couple of minutes with this....
And then give us your reaction....
Embrace Failare! (sic)
Posted at 2:32 PM on August 26, 2009
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Painting, Video
Watching one of John Kilduff's episodes of "Let's Paint TV" is like trying to watch three different episodes of "24" at the same time. He manages to keep a frenetic pace going as he simultaneously runs on a treadmill, paints, and talks about the process of painting. In addition each episode throws in a bonus activity; cutting his hair, making bizarre mixed drinks, or as in the above clip, eating a watermelon while painting a watermelon.
At first Kilduff's clips are annoying - it's hard to follow him, and he himself is distracted by all he's trying to do. Then it just seems absurd, and the humor begins to seep in through the manic urgency. Watch even further, and what you have is pretty brilliant. Kilduff manages to strip away any pretension around art and reduce it to its most primal creative essence. Don't worry about what you're doing - just do it! Take your mind off the importance of the work at hand, and make it an almost subconscious process. Ridiculous as it may first appear, what he's doing is performance art.
Kilduff is actually a trained painter, and curators are dubbing his work "action painting," a sort of plein air painting on speed. You can see the results of his painting-while-jogging here.
Now Kilduff is taking his show on tour (he's dubbed it the "Embrace Failare" tour) and his next stop is - you guessed it - right here in the Twin Cities. Let's Paint TV will tape an episode tomorrow night at Northwestern College at 6:30pm in St. Paul. In addition an exhibition of his work will be on display through October 3.
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