Page 68 - Studio International - April 1973

Art information

Vision interesting or dramatic as in the live Graphics
performance. The essential structure of the
piece is fairly simple: it begins with the playing
of a sound tape of a tramp singing
unaccompanied the hymn 'Jesus Blood',
Opus II, III, and IV haltingly but tunefully; this is 'looped' and
Walter Ruttmann, killed in 1941 whilst making replayed over and over as the backbone to the
a German propaganda film on the Eastern front, performance. It is joined after a few minutes by
is little known as the maker of probably the a film, indistinct and dark, of a street with, just Multiples Inc. of New York seems to have been
earliest completely abstract film. Opus I was first perceptible, a man on the pavement in the half the most active and ambitious publisher of
seen in Frankfurt early in 1921. In the same distance. As the piece progresses the musicians recent months. They have released the ten
year on 27 April, together with Max Butting's on stage begin to accompany the sound tape. Andy Warhol screenprints of Chairman Mao;
specially written music, it was acclaimed after a As the music increases in complexity, the man - the four James Rosenquist mixed media prints
public screening in Berlin. The film, now the tramp of the song ? - moves in very slow titled Horseblinders; a portfolio of six
missing, was reported to be in colour, either motion towards the camera, never becoming screenprints by Ed Ruscha called Insects; and
chemically or hand tinted. The Butting score clearly visible, until the film ends, the song they've co-published, with Cirrus Editions of
with drawings by Ruttmann still exists in Sweden fades, the musicians stop playing. There is a Los Angeles, a three-part untitled lithograph by
(Swedish Film Institute); there are copies at the satisfying consistency of mood, a weightless Joe Goode. Their newest publication appears to
Danish Film Museum and the GDR Archive in nostalgia, and the quality/pace of the film be their most ambitious so far. It is a portfolio
East Berlin. Ruttmann made the three contributes to this, as does the low lighting on called Reality and Paradoxes. It contains one
subsequent abstract films, Opus 11,111 and IV the musicians. But the formal concept of the print by each of the following artists:
between then and 1925; all were well received music seems much stronger than that of the Arakawa, Fahlstrom, Johns, Oldenburg,
critically and again included simple colour film. An unusual reversal of roles: film as Rauschenberg, Rosenquist, and Ed Ruscha. The
techniques. Though the BFI archive has a 'mood' accompaniment to music. The portfolio also contains notes by the critic
good 35 mm black and white copy of these relationship between Bryars's music and Nicolas Calas who writes : 'These artists
three surviving films, I don't think they have Dwoskin's films could be the subject for an combine three realities: the one they try to
ever been available for general viewing in article, as there has been a long association reproduce, the image which is to be reproduced,
Britain. At least for the next four months this between them, beginning with a Bryars/Ron and the reproduction process. The situation is a
situation has been rectified. The German Geesin collaboration on Naissant, and paradoxical one.' As a theme for creating a
distribution organization 'Internatziones' has continuing with the composition of Dwoskin's portfolio it is an intriguing one, and with the
allowed temporary, free (non-commercial) three most ambitious films, Trixi, Times For line-up of artists involved one would expect
distribution here of a 16mm print through the and Dynamo. From a composer's point of view, more than what has, in fact, been produced.
German Institute (Mrs Rulf, 51 Princes Gate, working with Dwoskin must be satisfying, as Basing my judgement only on black and white
London SW7, phone 01-589 3648). Opus II and his films tend to be conceived in a musical way, reproductions it is difficult to comment, but the
III prefigure the anthropomorphic abstraction and his work with both Geesin and Bryars has work in the project doesn't seem to relate to the
of Oskar Fischinger's films, but with a bolder led to a real fusion between picture and sound. 'theme'. The portfolio that results seems very
concept than Fischinger achieved until his later Just as Dwoskin thinks musically, so Bryars much like a collection of unrelated ideas and
period. All the films show a surprising technical thinks filmically; on the same programme was images. Only Robert Rauschenberg establishes
mastery and invention. It accounts for his the first performance of his The Sinking of the any conflict between various realities. His print
success in making special effects sequences for Titanic, based on the 1912 disaster when the Plot is composed of 'real' objects (brown paper
the more conventional film industry, like in the Titanic on its maiden voyage hit an iceberg and bag and magazine reproductions), images of real
Dream of Hawks sequence of Siegfried, and sank, the eight musicians of the ship's orchestra objects (the photographic magazine
work in Lebende Buddhas and Die Geschichte des creating a legend by playing until they were reproductions above) and the various forms of
Prinzen Achmed. The most exceptional and submerged. The performance is arranged printing. The printing includes not only the
advanced is the last of his abstract works, Opus visually, partly through the seating of the stamp on the paper bag and the magazine
IV; probably more simply made than the others, musicians of the 'ship's orchestra', separated photographs, but also the five silkscreen
with what look like cut card templates, he from other musicians on stage, partly by the printings and the embossment of the finished
begins to explore concrete (non-referential, inclusion of a white-coated 'steward' who print. The portfolio is in an edition of 10o and
rather than abstracted) form. The implications of slowly drinks his way through a couple of is approximately 22 by 3o inches.
his later incorporation into the film industry of bottles. The music is a double-take extension
the Reich could perhaps to some extent account of the illustrative tradition of Respighi/Holts, An interesting new box of prints is due to be
for the neglect of his films. However, I don't etc., who form the tradition upon which film released later this spring and will be available
think it should cloud our appreciation of his composition has been built, incorporating their from the Print Workshop, 28 Charlotte St.,
earlier, best work. influence through their influence on film, plus London WCI. It will consist of ten prints by
sound-track devices like lapping water blandly ten young artists. The prints will be 20 by 20 cm
Gavin Bryars - Steve Dwoskin -Music Now added as visual and aural parts of the music. and contained in a clear perspex box, 130
'Music Now' recently presented Jesus Blood Steve Dwoskin's films are available from the copies, and sell for £10.00. There will be five
Never Failed Me Yet, by Gavin Bryars and London Film Co-op, 13A Prince of Wales prints by five young Japanese artists and five by
Steve Dwoskin, with accompaniment by the Cres, NWI, and from The Other Cinema, 12 young English artists. The artists involved are
Music Now Ensemble. This is a film/music Little Newport St, London WC2. Yoshisuke Funasaka, Takeshi Hara, Kosuke
piece designed for a live situation. Though it Gavin Bryars's music is published by Kimura, Noriko Kiyotsuka, Kuniichi Shima,
would be conceivable to record the sound from Experimental Music Catalogue, 208 Ladbroke David Henderson, Lizzie Cox, Lynne Moore,
the performance and put it on to the film in the Grove, London WI o. D Mike North and Michael Harrison. q
usual manner, the results would not be as MALCOLM LE GRICE BUD SHARK

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