Before the Eyes
A programme of films by artists who have explored the connections between light, space and time. Through the use of metaphor, abstraction and visual poetry, the impact of science on perceptions of the world become revealed. Before the Eyes was curated and presented by Rob Gawthrop of Hull Art Lab.
The invention of cinema can no more be separated from the invention of searchlights than it can from that of snapshot photography. Did not Thomas Edison, inventor of the incandescent lamp in 1879 work on the kinetograph a few years later? As to Louis Lumiˇre, at the Universal Exhibition of 1900 the French Navy lent him its most powerful searchlight to project his films on to a large screen, in the famous Gallery of Machines. Paul Virilio Polar Inertia (Sage 2000).
Programme:
Erth John Latham (GB) 1971 25min
From outer space to the centre of the world, in which consciousness is revealed as sedimented history. Distant views of the approaching Earth punctuated by black and silence and light years are compressed into a cosmic imaginary.
Transit of Venus Nicky Hamlyn (GB) 2005 2min
A time lapse record of when Venus passed across the Sun contextualized with data detailing the various technical parameters which determined the peculiarity of the image.
Uranium Hex Sandra Lahire (GB) 1988 11min
"Uranium Hex" is a pointillist Geiger-counter crackle of visuals that deploys a number of experimental techniques to find an image for the radioactivity that slips unseen into the air. - Steven Bode.
Un-fit Jo Pearson GB 1992 1min
Originally shown as an interruption on BBC2's Late Show
FIN Silvia Kirchhof and Andreas Tröger (Ger) 1994 14min
A kaleidoscopic video collage based on Paul Virilio's theories regarding how the human race is victimised by its forced progress through the phenomenon and destructive power of acceleration.
--Break--
As Seen Through A Telescope George Albert Smith (GB) 1900 1min
Voyeuristic uses for a piece of optical apparatus.
La Peine Du Talion (Tit for Tat) Gaston Velle & Albert Capellani (Fr) 1906 3 min
A spectacularly hand-tinted film of butterflies exerting revenge on a collector.
The Very Eye of Night Maya Deren (USA) 1959 15min
A celestial dance made entirely in the negative.
Seven Days Chris Welsby (GB) 1974 4mins
The camera's shadow (when sunny) alternating with shots of the sky (when cloudy). Filmed over one week by a stream in Wales using an astronomical device and time-lapse photography.
Free Radicals Len Lye (NZ) 1958, recomposed 1979 4min
Made without a camera by scratching directly on black emulsion Free Radicals is a celebration of energy.
Ray Gun Virus Paul Sharits (USA) 1966 14min
A stroboscopic imageless film of extraordinary intensity. 'With films like Ray Gun Virus, LSD may become obsolete.' MOMA (Please note that this film is not suitable for people adversely affected by flashing lights.)