Page 44 - Studio International - March 1974

Contributors surrealist anecdotes and texts, and every page opening shows one the of Warhol's Sleep, being shown within
numerous aphorisms such as : view ahead and the view behind, the festival's cinema. Unfortunately,
Clive Phillpot is Librarian at Chelsea 'to set out is to arrive a little', or so that the one progresses towards after a few minutes projection the
School of Art ... Malcolm Le Grice re-vivifying subversions of history- one door and away from the other switch was noticed by one of the
is a film-maker and teaches at St book phrases such as :'beautiful as whichever way one goes through the organizers, who could only stop it by
Martin's School of Art . .. John A. the deliberate meeting on a book, the only paradox being that the cutting off the mains electricity—
Walker is an artist, writer and art dissection-table of a scalpel and a girl one leaves behind is also the girl plunging the theatre into darkness.
librarian ... Paul Martin is an artist, naked belly'. For lists of books on one goes to meet. 'Works in Progress This led to a statement from the
and teaches sculpture at Goldsmith's Surrealism (including other 1972-73' by Yukio Tsuchiya ( £0.40) Belgian Justice Minister (also
College, London ... Liesbeth Corstius Transformaction publications) there is a mimeographed book which President of the Festival),
is an art historian, and editor of is no better source than John Lyle. documents the ideas and projects explaining the film's exclusion, in
Het Museumjournaal Gunther Not ten miles away from of an experimental musician in words which he declared that whilst
Wirth is a German art critic living in Harpford lies Clyst Hydon, home of (English/Spanish/Japanese) and Belgium was a country without film
Stuttgart ... /an Jeffrey is lecturer in the Beau Geste Press. Their latest diagrams. 'Saborami' by Cecilia censorship, Smith's film offended
the History of Art at Goldsmith's offerings are, as a batch, very Vicuna records some of her pictorial against good custom and was
College, London .. . Andrew Mylius pleasing to handle and to look at, work and poetry from the last ten pornographic and unartistic.
is a sculptor living in Scotland ... they invite attention, the quality of years ; it was planned as a The trail of scandal left by Flaming
Rosetta Brooks is a free-lance writer production is admirable. A catalogue celebration, but now symbolizes her Creatures is unfortunate. Though it
living in London ... Bernard Denvir of their publications can be obtained fury and sorrow, for, 'appearing as it must have been difficult for people to
is London correspondent of Art from Beau Geste Press, Langford does two months after Chile was see this film in the early sixties outside
International and Arte Due Milla Court South, Clyst Hydon, carefully raped by starry striped the context of a deliberate attack on
Peter Gidal is a film-maker with 12 Cullompton, Devon EX151SQ. militarists, "Saborami" is the very first conventional, moral and artistic
films in the London Film-makers' Several of the books are by Latin- howl of pain to emerge from the sensibilities, this is a gross
Cooperative ... Sarah Kent is an artist American artists resident at or rubble under which Chile's misunderstanding of the motives and
and teaches at the London College of passing through Beau Geste Press, conscience lies stunned'. integrity of the work.
Printing ... Catherine Lampert is consequently many of the texts of the Not twenty-five miles away from Following this episode, the fourth
exhibition organizer at the Arts books are in English and Spanish. Clyst Hydon lies Newton Abbot. Knokke was a very mild affair. Held
Council of Great Britain ... Cara 'Generation, Book 1' by Felipe Yes, Bill Mitchell, who made in 1967-8 (always at Christmas and
Montgomery is an art critic presently Ehrenberg (£2.20) invites 'Proposition' ('Feedback' January into the New Year), the jury could no
working for Art Net, London ... comparison with 'Polaroid 1974), has made another book, longer avoid the conclusion that if
Brian Petrie is a lecturer at the Portraits, Vol 1' by Richard 'Process' (£0.20 from Bill Mitchell, 'experimental' meant anything, it must
University of Reading ... R. J. Rees Hamilton (Mathews Miller Dunbar, 50 Hilton Road, Newton Abbot, acknowledge that the major
is an artist and teaches at the Central 1972, £2.50), but whereas Hamilton Devon). All I will say is that if you movement had become that of
School of Art ... Lucy Lippard is an asked his famous friends to take buy the book and go along with the underground and post-underground
American art critic, historian ... pictures of him between 1968 and artist's intention you will be joining film. Wavelength by Michael Snow
1971 with his own camera, with others who buy it in actually took the first prize and Selbstschüsse
Feedback Ehrenberg has published photos of extending the work. If you write, by Lutz Momartz the second.
The major question now is whether
ask about 'At your own risk' too.
himself and his family and friends
Devon, England taken over fourteen years by some of Clive Phillpot. this form of competitive festival is
John Lyle, publisher and seller of the anonymous photographers who appropriate at all, and whether other
surrealist books, has just are stationed in public places Vision aspects of the proposed Knokke
translated and published a throughout Mexico, and who conditions are acceptable.
substantial 152-page paperback develop their pictures on the spot. Beginning on Christmas day 1974, First, promotion. Certainly until the
entitled 'Crystal Blinkers', by the There is no question that there is the Royal Film Archive of Belgium fourth Knokke, experimental film
Belgian surrealist polymath more warmth in the Ehrenberg book, plan their Fifth International Film as a cultural development was largely
Marcel Mariën (£3.90 plus 18p in spite of the contrary circumstances Competition at Knokke-Heist. Like all unrecognized and any outlet was
postage UK, from John Lyle, in which the photos were taken ; one other film festivals, it raises the welcome, whatever its limitations.
Transformaction, Harpford, soon tires of the Hamilton visage and question of whether film-makers Nowadays there is more choice.
Sidmouth, Devon, EX10 0NH). of the thesis of 'Polaroid Portraits' should or should not participate. The Second, finance. The independent
In his preface John Lyle explains that 'the personality of the person history of this film competition has film movement is largely based on the
that Mariën, whose first article was pointing the camera did affect the been mixed. It got off to a good start principle that film-makers recover the
published in the London (Gallery) photograph ...', but the change in in the first year (1949) when the costs of their films by being paid for
Bulletin in 1938, figures 'mostly as a Ehrenberg from youth i nto manhood Grand Prix was awarded to Oskar their presentation. When interest in
troublemaker' in histories of Belgian and the growth of his family carries Fischinger for his Motion Painting the work was low, film-makers were
Surrealism, and that in spite of his more meaning, perhaps it also has No. 1, which had little effect on often willing to allow free screenings
long involvement with Magritte and something to do with the Fischinger's subsequent attempts to of their films in festivals in the hope
Mesens and others in Belgium, he oppositions of publicity and privacy, raise backing for his films. The real that bookings would follow. This is
has not had his due in the histories the pretentious and the unpretentious. fun at Knokke was reserved for the not acceptable from an official body.
to date. Although the preface gives 'Looking for poetry' by Ulises third competition in 1963-4, which Third, competition. Film-making is
one some art-historical bearings Carrión (£0.45) consists of a series of was overwhelmingly dominated by not a sport. The validity of a
much of it is devoted to a horizontal scarlet lines running the entry of films from the New competition is that of a lottery, it gives
sympathetic study of the artist and across the lower half of every one of American Cinema contingent. one person a lot of money rather than
his works that 'convulse the mind'. the ochre-coloured pages in the book, Notwithstanding the evident quality many people a reasonable amount.
Lyle says that Mariën 'has the but with a different word printed in of much of the work, it is extraordinary The selection for prizes is rarely, if
intelligence to recognize that in the red on the upper half of each page, how Brakhage's historic film failed to ever, ultimately justifiable on artistic
final analysis, one's struggle is less the reading of which alters one's take the major prize. It didn't in fact grounds, and in the experimental film
against people than against their perception of the identical get any prize at all, and Brakhage did movement counteracts much of its
opinions and attributes'. For his configurations below, e.g. : lines, not submit work to the fourth non-hierarchic philosophy.
weapons and his targets, the artist threads, wires, hairs, arteries, canals, competition. Altogether, the NAC The London A/G Festival made a
draws upon art, sex, religion and and so on through other concrete work was beyond the jury and the beginning in establishing the
politics, but while the 'language' nouns to abstract ideas. 'Door to door' first prize went to a nondescript film conditions fora non-competitive
of the pictures and objects presented by Helen Chadwick and David Parallelstrasse by Ferdinand Khittl. festival, where it was assumed that
will be familiar to anyone who is Mayor ( £0.65) is explained in a note Most beyond the comprehension of film-makers would be paid for their
even slightly acquainted with at the end of the book : 'In Croydon, the jury was the notorious Flaming contributions and travel. The
Surrealism and Dada, it is also likely two doors face each other across a Creatures by Jack Smith. The conditions proposed for the fifth
that most readers will find at least one lawn. These photos were taken while selectors would not even allow it in Knokke competition are a step
image that jells and jars. There are walking from one door to the other'. to the competition, so Jonas Mekas backwards. The organizers still have
also prose sections on rainbow- Fifteen shots have been taken of organized an alternative viewing in an time to reconsider the form of the
coloured leaves in amongst the many each door, each series commencing hotel. However, that was not the end festival, and film-makers time to make
black and white and colour plates; with the view from the opposite of the matter ; Mekas switched their views known.
they include a series of brief door ; the photos are paired so that Flaming Creatures for one of the reels Malcolm Le Grice