DVblog

Sneaux (2007, 7MB, 31 sec.) Sneaux Shoes launched a consumer-generated video campaign with a stop-motion video of a human skateboard. The TV ad features a skateboarder using a kid as a skateboard and performing classic tricks like ollies, grinds and 360s. PES who directed the video made it entirely in-camera (Canon D20) and on location through the use of a stop-motion animation technique known as pixilation. Says PES: This spot is a great example of the breadth of stop-motion. If something exists in the real world, it can be animated. Editing and sound design was done by Sam Welch at Homestead, New York.

Pop Mantra Video Documentation #4 (2008, 51.7MB, 5:17 min) Pop Mantra Video Documentation #7 (2008, 50.5MB, 5:41 min) I like admire Curt Cloninger for his steadfastness of belief in both his religion his artistic work. He s also one of the best writers about new media around at the moment. In both theory practice he s curious, inventive, knowledgable, quirky and passionate. Unlike many in this sphere he s also not afraid to think aloud in public, to take risks. Even, (quelle horreur!), to risk appearing uncool. Recently he s been making work away from the web, some of it performative very interestingly so. Here ( I stress what you see here is the documentation, not the piece itself -a fine, but important, distinction) he repeatedly sings plays a single phrase from a popular song, in this instance Radiohead s Karma Police, for several hours. For me there are number of interesting resonances - minimalism, shamanism, the kinds of test that occur in many religious belief systems, a losing, dissolving of the self (In additon to the eponymous mantra ,there s an echo too, I think, of Sufism); but also there is the straightforward investigation*** of the mechanics of playing, of performing ( there s a fractal quality to the rather symmetric crystalline structure of popular song that makes this kind of extracting both possible immediately approachable -it s a world familiar enough to welcome us in.) The two extracts are from different ends of this marathon ( selecting typing that word just conjured another association - the dance marathons of the twenties thirties). I find this work fascinating. Fascinating affecting too. *** It s almost always a laughable misuse of the word to say investigation in an art-speak context. Here it seems correct natural.

Ludwig Poos Schwabe (2007, 36MB, 1:20 min) 1st Ping-Pong Lesson With Lucha Lib (2008, 31.2MB, 4:18 min) Even 18 years after the wall came down there s still a quite palpable residue of the great absurdist tradition that flourished under Stalinism in work being made in the former Eastern bloc. (Of course it goes back further, to Švejk to a certain Prague insurance clerk) Then, the deliberate crudeness, strangeness and in-your-faceness concealed the most serious of purposes. Of course there s still plenty to kick against everywhere, but one can t help wondering whether in work like this, Cheshire-cat-smile like, the attitude persists but a question lies over any substance. Of course there s no reason to demand high seriousness everywhere both these pieces are well made and amusing, though of the two I much prefer Ludwig, Lucha Lib being marred by a gratuitous and infantile sexism. I sound harsher than I mean to be. There is a lot to like in both pieces and I ll definitely be following future work from Pash with interest.

Paola e Bettino (2006, 4MB, 2:24 min) By brothers Marco and Saverio Lanza.

Pierre Huyghe #1 (NK, 2.69MB, 1:43 min) Pierre Huyghe #2 (NK, 1.59MB, 3:03 min) Pierre Huyghe #3 (NK, 2.33MB, 1:29 min) Pierre Huyghe #4 (NK, 2.29MB, 1:30 min) The last couple of times I ve been in Paris, I ve headed straight for the Pompidou Center to see Pierre Huyghe s wonderful This Is Not A Time for Dreaming. I wish we d got a copy of that here but you can see it in it s glorious entirety at the indispensable UbuWeb. There s some other great stuff by him there too. (And I m not even going to begin to say why I think it s great, - take a look!) As a kind of companion to that here re four short videos from the website of the PBS Art in the 21st Century series. What imagination! What vision! What a GSOH! What substance!

Margaret (2008, 54.3MB, 5:44 min) This is a reoccurring dream. I shot this a few days back in Peg’s wonderfully spacious apt. The music is originally by Michael Szpakowski and was remixed by me for the video. Puzzling and mysterious video by Brian Gibson.

White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes (2008, 5.7MB, 2:28) Beautifully poignant music video from Fleet Foxes, directed by super talented Sean Pecknold.

Dust/Spring Evening (2005-7, 26.2MB, 1:57 min) Dignity (2004, 40.4MB, 7:02 min) Rain : Focus winter in the north (2004-9, 9.5MB, 1:12 min) We showed a couple of rather restrained, pastoral pieces by Paul Kelly in February of this year. So, here re three rather restrained, somewhat more urban pieces. I admire the determinedly austere approach, to make much - or rather to make us make much- of what is given to the camera (quite a lot, it has to be said, in Dignity which is a touching portrait of man dog), although one does have visions of a kind of Yoda figure meditating in depth before every possible editing decision to take the four years Focus apparently took to make. I look forward to more.

Untitled ( excerpt (2008, 87MB, 6:27 min) There s something pleasantly reminiscent of Linklater s Slacker in this piece from Daniel Osbourne. I don t mean to suggest it s derivative; I don t think it is, or only in the completely unescapable way of coming-after. This piece has it s own identity, which at first I wasn t sure whether it was completely random, but then little bits of structuring begin to assert themselves. In particular I like the fades which occur immediately prior to anything substantive happening. A lot of it looks very good too - there s no doubt the man has an eye - the 3-D glasses sequence, the fire women, the musical instruments procession (although am I alone in finding something slighty snotty about the shot of the bemused onlookers?). That little cavil aside this is interesting stuff I look forward to seeing how Osbourne s work develops.

Rent a wreck (2005, 21 MB, 3;13 min.) Suburban Kids with Biblical Names is a swedish band formed in December 2003 by Johan Hedberg and Peter Gunnarsson. They make and record their music in the hallway or the storehouse at the home of Peter s parents. Johan makes simple drafts of the songs and then Peter polish them and turn them into shiny pop songs.

Checkout (Emma Bailey , 2007, 39.1MB, 51 sec loop) Eating Cake (Lauren Craig , 2007, 34MB, 1:29 min) Washing the Dog (Danielle Pawley , 2007, 16.4MB, 44 secs) A Step Away from Home (Katie Keech , 2007, 12.8MB, 10 sec loop) Yet more from Leeds Vlog. Original post

Screen Kiss (clip) (2005, 3.1MB, 1:00 min.) Jillian is trying to make Billy Bob Thornton jealous, inserting herself into existing film clips and getting kisses from Daniel Day Lewis, Vincent Gallo, Johnny Depp, and Billy Bob’s former wife - Angelina Jolie. Also check out Me and Billy Bob .

Undisclosed Beauty (2008, 8.7MB, 3:13 min) We ve shown Anders Weberg s work here on a number of occasions. He s clearly a serious artist has made some very potent work, I find myself a bit at a loss with this latest piece - it doesn t work for me. My assumption is that it s me who is not looking right, but I find the aestheticising of what looks like some quite violent and disturbing imagery both trite and somewhat suspect. (And the music over-eggs it for me too ) The piece recently won a prize in Ljubljana so I could well be in a minority. Of course it s the mark of a rich challenging body of work that the artist is ahead of the commentators so I look forward perhaps to reconsidering in weeks, months or years

Emergence - Locusts (2008, 233.8MB, 11:19) From celebrated MC Invincible, a docu-music-video about the history of gentrification and capitalism s destruction of communities in Detroit. Video features several local activists, including Grace Lee Boggs and (full disclosure) my good friend Ron Scott. This intense collaboration gives me chills every time I watch it. I ll let the rest speak for itself.

Grip (2007, 101 MB, 4:13 min.) Grip is a video clip for the band zZz. It is a one take, top shot video with trampoline gymnasts simulating video effects, and has been recorded live as part of the opening Nederclips , a showcase of Dutch videoclips at the Stedelijk Museum. The important criteria were that the audience at the opening would be able to witness the whole shoot, and that the videoclip would be added to the exhibition immediately after the shoot. The project developed by Roel Wouters AKA Xelor.

patafilm #609 (2008, 18.2MB, 4:27 min) No excuse offered or needed to show work by the Danish magician, Sam Renseiw. (when I called him the genius Dane here a little while ago, he wrote me, modestly demurring, but he is, Dear Reader, he is. Both) He says still imbricated in the subtle magic of simple things and situations , which is unusually accurate for an artist self assessment. Beautiful work.

Morgan Schwartz - Toaster (2001, 7.3MB, 3:30) From Morgan Schwartz.

Thibaut Is Singing On Oberstein Road (2008, 15.5MB, 2:36 min) Rules of Engagement (2008, 18.1MB, 2:15 min) Tremendous work from Robert Croma. The Iraq piece is harrowing but you should watch it nonetheless. The Thibaut piece is simply exhilarating. I was trying to figure out what exactly makes this work so outstanding. I don t think it s just the fact that it is technically so good (although it is). It s to do with Croma s taste, judgement instinct, or at least how he deploys these to tell us something, or rather to intuit-to-us something about being a human being. You couldn t make a rule of it, for that would render it inert mechanical, but, loosely, in these two pieces, it seems to me to lie in a going-beyond -the-expected - a process with its heart in the little codas which open out the pieces in a quite extraordinary way. So the Iraq piece, though supremely well done, is initially not a million miles away from much other remix type work, but it is the final calling-to-attention, the framing, of the gait of one of the people whom we have just seen obliterated that re-doubles its horror but also creates the tiniest ground for hope in the inescapable (thanks to Croma) clear recognition of our common humanity. A similar process occurs in the Thibaut piece - its potency initially seems to reside in the simplicity of the camera exploring the still, the conjunction of the new and old imaging technology and the simple moving fact of evocation of time passed. It s beautiful; and many would have been tempted to leave it there. The final section is a risk - it could have have the opposite effect to what it actually does; it could have closed off, made pat. Here perhaps the technical fluency does play a defining role but the effect is the exact opposite of closure -we re left, once again, in a very different way, filled with a sense of the mystery complexity possibility ( the fragility) of being human.

Philadelphia Institute for Advanced Study (2008, 82.2MB, 9:15 min) Rather wonderful piece from Shawn Kornhauser Brandon Joyce who seem to exist in a strange crevice between real Philadelphia well some other one. The layers of japes spoofery multiply exponentially but something near the truth, whatever that is, can be found here, here here. I think.

Lucia Nimcova - Exercise (2007, 40.5MB, 6:03) Outrageously funny video from Slovakian artist Lucia Nimcova. I m pretty sure not being able to understand the language makes this that much more endearing and amusing.

John Cage - 4:33 (2004, 47MB, 9:23 min) Wonderful video of the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Lawrence Foster giving a performance of John Cage’s notorious/ provocative/seminal/epoch-making 4:33.

3 of 7(2002, 74.7MB, 4:00 min) 4 of 7(2002, 105MB, 4:00 min) Two (from a series of seven) heartbreakingly beautiful, lump-in-the-throat-evocative lyric poems about being young, disguised as music video/documentaries. Dan Canyon is a natural filmmaker. He so is. What more to say, except nice to see Blackheef pronounced correctly? See all seven.

Robert Todd - Creation Myth (2007, 39.3MB, 5:46) Robert Todd is a master of 16mm. With an enormous catalog behind him and no sign of his work ceasing in the near future, Todd is slowly migrating his work onto his personal website. What a treat for us. This piece, Creation Myth, is one of several I will repost here over time, to show respect for these subtle, moving visions. Todd says: Love of sky, love of earth and air, with water helping us along form the backdrop to this reflection of life-essence and its evolution. And, full disclosure: Rob has previously been my professor, and I personally consider him one of the kindest, most knowledgeable and professional working artists under whom I have had the privilege of studying. I wish I had been better able to absorb his teachings at the time. He is truly a Bolex genius.

Dogs of War (2002, 4.1MB, 50 sec.) Whittlin’ Wood (2002, 6.4 MB, 1 min.) A couple early movies for the web by PES.

Golly Gee, Mcgee (2005, 4.8MB, 1:31 min.) Barry McGee’s installation at Deitch Projects, was one of my favorite shows in NYC in 2005. Music by Gorillaz.

Birds (2006, 15.5MB, 3:04 min) Netlag (2006, 15.8MB, 4:23 min) 24 carat weirdness ethereal beauty respectively from the French Pleix group, a ‘virtual community of digital artists based in Paris. Can’t help feeling, though, that the chosen music seems a tad ordinary for these images…

Basement Jaxx - Red Alert (1999, 10.5MB, 3:42) Fatboy Slim - Don t Let The Man Get You Down (2003, 9MB, 3:08) Lady Sovereign - Love Me or Hate Me (2006, 12.2MB, 2:43) Three videos from the funky fresh Brian Beletic. (Why doesn t a music video director have a website?) In any case, Beletic s work spans the last decade, these posted in chronological order. Basement Jaxx s video is conceptual: what if music was illegal? Love the idea and execution. The track itself takes me back to my younger, raving days. Fatboy Slim and Lady Sovereign also should be proud of their Beletic vids. Both garner at least a few chuckles and some definite appreciation for the editing. Anyone else feeling good about the evolutions of UK electronic spins right about now? Cool. Me too. PS - He also works stateside. Don t despair, fledgling DJs in need of an MTV hit. You could be next.

Kaboom (2005, 9 MB, 1:14 min.) Fireworks (2004, 6.1 MB, 28 sec.) PES is a New York based animator and movie maker. His work has been commissioned by Bacardi and Diesel. His shorts, stop-motion animations are known for their skill and brilliance.

Hansel and Gretel Chapter 1 (2007, 15.9MB, 4:11 min) More from Diluvio Gallery, this time from Cristóbal León, with quite the most disturbing take on the Hansel and Gretel story I ve ever come across. This strange precise, slow moving black and white universe suggests all sorts of antecedents, from kids shoe adverts to Henry Darger to Max Ernst - and yet, it remains obstinately its own. Entrancing! - can t wait for further chapters, although on form thus far I might have to hide behind a chair when the witch appears.

Skye Bender-deMoll - Organic Brand Ownership Networks (2007, 9MB, 0:18) We love moving charts and maps, in case you couldn t tell. This one, from Skye Bender-deMoll, features organic food brands circa late 2007, and their often overlooked connections. The yellow nodes are food processors, blue are investment firms, green are organic brands, and red are new organic brand introductions. via Another Limited Rebellion