Date: July 25th 2006

New York Experimental: Animations
The Tank @ Collective: Unconscious
279 Church Street | New York, NY 10013
Wednesday July 30th, 2006 | 10:00 PM | $5.00

An evening of experimental animations ranging from the cute and quirky to meditations on color, shape and movement. From 8mm film to the most recent computer technology, this diverse program will include works by distinguished filmmaker Bill Brand, renowned fine artist Rachel Urkowitz, Cecilia Aranovich, William Forrester, James Fosset, C.M. Gross, Bryan Greene, Phyllis Bulkin Lehrer, Rajesh Kottamasu, the Brooklyn based artist duo Sharpy (Cecilia Biagini + Dahlia Fischbein) and NY underground filmmaker Carey Burtt. The program will also feature the U.S . premier of Jack Feldstein's most recent neon animation film fresh from the International Film Festival Rotterdam!

Films include:

Spirals (2006)
Rachel Urkowitz
TRT: 03:44 min
Silent and Spirals are both color stop motion 8mm films transferred to DVD. Both films embrace the handmade aspect of stop motion, as well as the glitches and accidents that occur during the tedious animation process. Spirals has a soundtrack made up entirely of sound effects. Originally conceived as a music video for a non-existent band, after a little plotting advice from the artist's nephews this animation took a more dramatic turn. Spirals made of string battle spirals made of paper in a fight to the death.

Silent (2003)
Rachel Urkowitz
TRT: 03:35 min
Silent, originally projected as a 16mm film, has only the sound of the projector as a soundtrack. In it's DVD state it is totally silent. It shows a cut paper drawing making and remaking itself, although it could also be seen as a story of the creation of the universe.

Reflections of a Schizophrenic Life (2006)
Bryan Greene
TRT: 03:45 min
Using 2D illustration and animation this work explores Schizophrenia, a debilitating mental disorder from which Greene suffers. Through voices and images, he explores the symptoms seen and heard by people with Schizophrenia. The overall effect is portrayed as web of voices that plays as a backdrop to his poetry and illustrated self-portraits. Greene's goal is to educate his audience by allowing them a window into the mind and world of a Schizophrenic. His hope is that his short movie will continue to resonate long after it has been seen.

Masstransiscope (1980-82)
Bill Brand
TRT: 07:00 min
Bill Brand's Masstransiscope was installed in the abandoned Myrtle Avenue subway station in Brooklyn, New York in September 1980. It has been seen by millions of commuters for over twenty-five years. The 228 hand-painted panels are viewed through a series of vertical slits set into a specially constructed housing. The piece works on the principle of the Zoetrope, a 19th century optical toy.

To A Man with A Big Nose (2005)
Cecilia Aranovich
TRT: 03:12 min
A visual adaptation of a poem by Spanish author Quevedo. A frustrated little man is unable to get rid of his disproportionately big nose, which comes to life and decides to go on a strange journey, dragging the poor little man along.

Elegant Disposition (2006)
William Forrester
TRT: 04:00 min
Through a lengthy process of experimentation, Will Forrester has attempted to transform mundane imagery into a lyrical fluidity which tries to exist in the same realms as music. The music for this piece was written by the filmmaker with the intention of cinematic use.

The Ascension (2006)
James Fossett
TRT: 03:36
A short venture up a hill because it is there.

Panick Attack (1995)
C.M. Gross
TRT: 01:00 min
A visual anxiety attack combining new technology and personal experience. I know what it feels like but now I know what it looks like.

Moon Worshipers (2003)
Phyllis Bulkin Lehrer
TRT: 05:00 min
An experimental animated visual art work that combines digital rendering on the computer with under the digital camera stop motion animation. It is an abstract improvisation on the theme of moon worshipers that expresses a spiritual connection with life forms and the cosmos. It is a collaboration with Hong Kong based experimental musician Man Yee Lam.The use of ordinary elements (tea) as a medium for animated imagery grounds this digital work in real space connecting the viewer to tactile space while viewing electric media.

Amnion (2006)
Rajesh Kottamasu
TRT: 06:36 min
A man recounts the events of his life and those of his twin while reflecting on their closeness in the womb.

Ants (2006)
Sharpy (Cecilia Biagini + Dahlia Fischbein)
TRT: 06:14 min
This video is about movement, how movement creates and affects compositions and how a slight change can modify the whole.

Rock Band Animation (1978)
Carey Burtt
TRT: 1:08 min
A stop-motion rock band animation.

The Ecstasy of Gary Green (2006)
Jack Feldstein
TRT: 15:00 min
A funny re-animated neon film with the narrative elements of a Spalding Gray monologue and the visual style of Andy Warhol pop art. This inventive digital re-animation focuses on Gary Green, a guy who goes on a search for happiness.

www.thetanknyc.org