Dive into a world of colour with this programme of films made by scratching into, painting on, or sticking things to the surface of the filmstrip.
These films are made entirely without recourse to photography: the abstract imagery on show is derived exclusively from the artists’ interventions on the surface of the celluloid itself.
We begin and end with Len Lye, a pioneer of handmade cinema, and a touchstone for the handmade moving image-artists who followed. Harry Smith mined his own subjectivity, hoping to reveal hidden truths and introduce a new way of seeing and Aldo Tambellini’s exploration of blackness was inspired by the contemporary historical context of the burgeoning counterculture, civil rights protests and the space race.
These films are among the most iconic examples of handmade cinema of all time.
Total run time: 53 min approx
Please note: this programme contains flashing light and is not suitable for people with certain types of epilepsy.
F-rated
Barbican Cinema has been supported by the Culture Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas in England which is administered by the BFI, as part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund supporting arts and cultural organisations in England affected by the impact of Covid-19. #HereForCulture.
Booking fees
£1.50 booking fee per online/phone transaction.
No fee when tickets are booked in person.
Booking fees are per transaction and not per ticket. If your booking contains several events the highest booking fee will apply. The booking fee may be reduced on certain events. Members do not pay booking fees.
Programme
Early Abstractions No 3 (Interwoven) (US 1947-9 Dir Harry Smith 3 min 16mm sound)
Sonata for Pen, Brush and Ruler (US 1968 Dir Barry Spinello 10 min digital sound)
A Colour Box (UK/New Zealand 1935 Dir Len Lye 4 min digital sound)
Dots (Canada 1940 Dir Norman McLaren 2 min digital sound) produced and distributed by National Film Board of Canada
Calypso (UK 1955 Dir Margaret Tait 4 min digital sound)
Mothlight (US 1963 Dir Stan Brakhage 4 min 16mm sound)
Op Hop - Hop Op (Canada 1966 Dir Pierre Hebert 2 min digital sound) produced and distributed by National Film Board of Canada
The Playful Atom (Brazil 1961 Dir Roberto Miller 4 min 16mm sound)
Black Is (US 1965 Dir Aldo Tambellini 4 min 16mm silent)
Impresiones en la alta atmósfera (Spain 1988-9 Dir José Antonio Sistiaga 7 min digital sound)
Free Radicals (1958 Dir Len Lye 4 min digital sound)
Noisy Licking, Dribbling and Spitting (2014 Dir Vicky Smith 4 min 16mm sound)
