Page 44 - Studio International - December 1974

Contributors temporary absence of people. the first large scale festival to be over to the festival. This means that a
Throughout the trilogy objects and devoted to British independent film large and flexible gallery space will be
Clive Phillpot is Librarian at Chelsea environments are photographed and will take place in Bristol at the Arnolfini available for multi-projection and film/
School of Art . .. Malcolm /e Grice is
presented in such a way that they arts 'centre'. Though the first of the performance work, and they have
RE
a film-maker and teaches at St Martin's
appear familiar and accessible; Regional Film Theatres was also set up already received a number of proposals
School of Art ... John A. Walker is an
however, unravelling just what is in Bristol, it has been left to film shows from film-makers not centred on
artist and critic ... Paul Martin teaches
happening to these familiar objects at the Arnolfini to cover the ground London, to present work of this kind.
sculpture at Goldsmith's College ...
and scenes takes time, for the pictures which one should expect from a The conventional work will be shown
Ronnie Rees is a painter and teaches at don't necessarily surrender their Regional Film Theatre programme.
VIE
the Central School of Art ... Harry in the cinema, but it is possible that
content instantly. These three books Dave Hopkins, who is very critical of any late-night over-spill will be screened
Snook is a lecturer in Fine Art at can stand on their own, together they the Bristol RFT, after working in TV
Birmingham Polytechnic ... Robin at their workshop. The organizers,
constitute an impressive and enigmatic for about seven years, was mainly Jane Jackson and Dave and Jane
Spencer is Director designate of the
achievement. responsible for beginning the Arnolfini Hopkins, are very concerned that
Krazy Kat Arkive, St Andrews
Helen Douglas has produced a film programme early in 1973. The
P. Hodin is an
University small booklet entitled Threads (£0.30 Arnolfini, which is run by Jeremy Rees, independent film-makers working in any
W
Advisory Editor of Studio direction will be involved. They
from the artist, also at 11, Lady started as a relatively simple art gallery, expect a minimum of sixty film-makers
2
International ... Ken Baker is a Somerset Road, London, NW5 and but has gradually expanded to become
freelance art journalist ... Fenella to attend, and are prepared to
Compendium) concerned with threads a kind of all-arts centre for Bristol, accommodate at least that number.
Crichton is London Correspondent of which travel from one surface of a moving into a converted dockside
Art International . .. Rodney Burke is They have raised £500 from the South
page through to its reverse. Thus warehouse last year. The venture is Western Arts Association (who have
a librarian at University College,
broken lines on a right hand page are now largely supported by the Arts
London and an art historian ... Tim also given about £450 for the workshop
found to be connected by broken Council, and though the cinema was
O'Keeffe is a partner in Martin, Brian, itself), and are hoping for a further
lines on the following left hand page, only seen originally as a minor extension,
O'Keeffe, publishers... R. C. Kenedy £1,000 from the Arts Council. Their
so that one is apparently seeing both by bringing a large number of people
is an Assistant Keeper of the Library at aim is to raise sufficient money to be
sides of a piece of simple stitching into the complex, its activities have
the Victoria and Albert Museum ... able to pay film rentals on the work
through the page. However the lines become quite central. The Arnolfini is
Peter Smith is a freelance writer and are not actual threads, they are drawn, about to move again to another building which is shown within the festival, and
art-theorist ... Frances Carey is audiences will be charged. However, at
or photographically-reproduced, threads close by, where a purpose-built cinema
Assistant Keeper, Prints and Drawings the time I write, the organizers are still
which are printed on the page, and with 16mm and 35mm projection
Department at the British Museum, uncertain of their selection procedure
which by virtue of exact printing and facilities is being prepared. The film
with special responsibility for creating and have been attempting to get the
a certain degree of see-through in the programme has been organized jointly
a 20th-century collection ... Caryn opinion of film-makers. It is probable
paper, appear to run behind the page by Dave Hopkins and Hillary Thompson
Faure-Walker runs the Cockpit Gallery only to re-emerge and lead off and they have attempted to establish that a small committee with experience
and is a member of the Cockpit in the various areas of independent
elsewhere. An engaging publication. broad themes for their choice. To date
Theatre tableau vivant team ... Betty cinema will be set up to invite or select
Bill Mitchell has published two or they have tended to concentrate on
Swanwick is an Associate of the Royal work, though it is also likely that every
more books recently: Azonic I films with a political orientation, the
Academy ... Rosetta Brooks is effort will be made to show the work
(£0.50) and Azonic II (£0.60) which third world and early Soviet cinema,
London editor of Flash Art ... of any film-maker who actually attends
are available from him at 50, Hilton but they also intend to include avant-
Catherine Lampert is Exhibitions the festival. The uncertainty is created
Road, Newton Abbot, South Devon. garde cinema in their future
Organizer at the Arts Council of Great by the organizer's positive wish not to
In these two books he takes the idea programming. preclude unfamiliar and unexpected
Britain ... Penny Hawkins is a
of a 'narrative thread' for a ride, by Hopkins is also deeply involved in directions. Even if this aspect is unclear,
painter ... Sarah Kent teaches visual
leading a real piece of thread from the the organization of the coming festival, the festival could be a most important
research at the London College of
front cover by a zig-zag route to the and emerges as the driving force behind event. If the BFI is serious about its
Printing ...
back. By allowing the thread to a number of the film developments in plans to help regional developments,
penetrate each page at a different the Bristol region. Independent Cinema this is an obvious project for it to
Feedback point, Mitchell causes it either to West is essentially a film workshop, finance. TV stations in the region have
spring taut as one opens up the book, and was one of the organizations which expressed interest, but considering the
Spaces by Telfer Stokes, published in
or to assume a particular configuration; received money (£1,000) from the ridiculous ignorance of independent
1974 by Weproductions, 11, Lady
he in fact subtitles each book: 'a BFI's Group Finance Fund in June this British cinema by programme controllers
Somerset Road, London NW5 at £1.50,
drawing'. In Azonic II he introduces year. Curiously, the initial impetus for of national television, they ought to be
is the third volume of a trilogy, of two sequences of transparent plastic the group came through a BFI plan to
which Passage (1972) was the first pages which allow one to see both set up a workshop related to the Bristol falling over each other to see what is
part and Foolscrap (1973) the second. how the thread is lying before one RFT. The suggestion gave rise to a going on. However, more on that issue
It is physically of the same high next month. For further information
animates it by turning a page and the series of meetings with a wide response contact Jane Jackson, Independent
standard as the two earlier volumes
new position it has assumed as a from the film-makers, planning a
and manifests the same feeling for the Cinema West, 132a Queen's Road,
result of one's action; one re-draws workshop and mobile viewing facilities
form and the same wit. The entirely Bristol BS8 1 LQ (Tel. 0272 38588).
the line as one turns the pages. to cover the whole south-west. Malcolm Le Grice
visual content of this paperback book
While on the subject of book-art However, Bristol's 'official' Arts Centre,
is made up of about eighteen sections,
Two—One Word by Verena Moser is which houses the RFT finally decided Books
which are usually quite distinct from
another example which was published they wanted nothing to do with the
each other, but which, in spite of French art and music since 1500 by
last year. Think about this title and film-makers and their workshop. So in
their differences, sometimes July 1973, the most energetic group Anthony Blunt and Edward Lockspeiser.
you will see that 'One Word=Two
interpenetrate so that one sequence is x, 101 pp, 31 plates; 32 illus. Methuen,
Words' as well. This spiral-bound began a series of monthly meetings,
succeeded less abruptly by the next. 1974. £1.35 paperback.
book is published by M'Art Press, eventually moving into a small building
Of the two major sequences in Spaces, A revised version of two texts first
Wallstr.9, Basel, Switzerland at 15 this May. Though the group owns
the first sets up a repeated but published in 1972 as chapters in 'France:
Swiss Francs, but distributed in the some equipment, it mainly functions as
diminishing three-part rhythm, a companion to French studies';
USA by Wittenborn at $5.00, and in an equipment pool and a centre from
involving a pair of steps which the UK by Gallery-House Press at £1.60. which access can be arranged to some illustrations have also been added. The
converts into a chair, which pulsates title suggests that art and music are
Finally, Multiplicata, 42 rue Rene quite sophisticated facilities often
throughout a passage in which the compared but this is not the case: they
Boulanger, Paris 10e have introduced under-used in educational establishments.
camera moves back from the image are described independently. Blunt
a series of 'Livres Multiples' which are They can call on two cameras, and a
after alternate shots. Not only does attempts the almost impossible task of
booklets by the ubiquitous Acconci, good synchronized-sound shooting
the original image become smaller, summarising five hundred years of
Boltanski, Broodthaers, Buren and system, and Barry Noble who is the
but one's expectation of what might French art, architecture and design in
LeGac. Buren's Halifax is not only main technician of the group is setting
lie outside each shot is regularly put the space of fifty six pages while
the most interesting, and the only one up film-development equipment. They
out of joint by the succeeding shot. Lockspeiser does the same for music.
with colour printing, but also the only have completed one documentary film
The other long sequence involves
reasonably priced booklet at 18 Francs; based on the visit of a theatre group to
movement across and down pages Origins of modern sculpture: pioneers
the others cost 80 Francs each since the Glen Side Mental Hospital, and
rather than movement away from the and premises by Albert E. Elsen. xii,
they are signed and limited to 400 or about six other films are under-way,
page. A photograph of a breaking 179pp; 168 illus. Phaidon, 1974. £6
500 copies. Anyone who forks out though they do not have a 'collective'
wave appears at the right and then policy, intending only to create a A previous version of this text was
that much for such slight works must
repeats across the double spreads like facilities centre. published in the catalogue of the
be printing their own bank-notes.
a line of identically-dressed chorus The Festival of Independent British 'Pioneers of modern sculpture'
Clive Phillpot
girls moving simultaneously; then a Cinema is their current major project. exhibition held at the Hayward Gallery
pair (or a double image) of stainless Its aim is both to provide the first real in 1973. Elsen describes in detail the
steel sinks come on in front of this Vision 'meeting' of the whole range of revolution which occurred in sculpture
line, take a bow, and vanish; minor contemporary work, and to stimulate between 1890 and 1918. In a period
Festival of Independent British Cinema,
objects also make their appearance. film-making in their region. Not only when Modernist sculpture has replaced
Bristol, 11 — 18 February 1975
Both these sequences involve the cinema, but the whole of the the academy and when revolutions,
uninhabited spaces that suggest the Organized by Independent Cinema West, Arnolfini's new building will be turned individualism and expressionism in art