~ News and Views ~
Kickstarter to support video, dance and text installation “Digitized Figures”
Last summer I shared a video called Portlet from the on-going collaboration between dance and video artist Kathleen Kelley and poet Sarah Rose Nordgren—their Digitized Figures project. Now they’re preparing the world premiere of an interactive installation, and they’re asking for a little help.
The Campaign
Hello All! — We’re Kathleen Kelley and Sarah Rose Nordgren, a dance choreographer/media artist and poet who make up the collaborative team Smart Snow.
This campaign is raising money for a new performance installation that we’ve been developing for the past two years. Digitized Figures will have its world premiere at the Vanderbilt Republic’s gorgeous Gowanus Loft in Brooklyn, NY, and will be performing this fall 2016 from Friday October 14 – Sunday October 16 and Friday October 21 – Sunday October 23. (See the Facebook event page for tickets and details!).
Your support is absolutely crucial to making this ambitious new work possible. Our $5,000 Kickstarter goal reflects only about 25% of the funds it will take to present this piece at the Gowanus Loft. Your contributions will go directly to covering the project’s production needs which include (but are not limited to):
- renting necessary equipment such as projectors, monitors, and speakers
- hiring our production team (technical director, stage manager, production assistants, projection designer)
- paying our dancers
- hiring a costume designer
- supporting our press, publicity, and marketing efforts
Whether you can contribute $1 or much more, we are incredibly grateful for your support in bringing Digitized Figures to fruition!
The Work & Collaborators
Kathleen Kelley and Sarah Rose Nordgren have been collaborating formally and informally for 17 years, ever since they met each other at a party in high school and recognized each other as artistic soul-mates.
Since then, Kathleen has gone on to perform internationally as a dancer and to produce many live performances and dance films, and Sarah Rose has become an award-winning poet and writer. However, this will be their first large-scale performance and video installation they’ve produced as a collaborative team!
Digitized Figures will be the culmination of years of conversations and shared ideas between the two artists. As women working at the intersections of art and technology, both Kathleen and Sarah Rose share an interest in the mirrored relationship between technological and evolutionary processes, and the “natural” and the “human” inside of digital spaces.
In our commitment to create art that pushes the forms of dance and poetry into new technological territories, Digitized Figures introduces a completely new form which we call “choreographed text.” This form, in which text moves and “dances” across the screen, invites the viewer into a new relationship with language itself, presenting it as digital material saturating the performance environment.
We created the text, video, and choreography for Digitized Figures over a period of months through our artistic correspondence, sending lines of poetry, movement, and notebook sketches back and forth between New York and Cincinnati that eventually became the three core videos in Digitized Figures. Along the way, we’ve had the chance to present bits and pieces of the installation as a works in progress at various venues in Cambridge, MA, Brooklyn, NY, Iowa City, IA, Cincinnati, OH, and Montclair, NJ. We’re so excited to take what we’ve learned from these smaller showings and finally create the fully realized version of the installation with the addition of interactive video, four live dancers, and a completely new component that allows viewers to impact the performance through the use of tablets.
What a fascinating collaboration! Click through to read the rest, view all the images, and of course to donate if you can.
Call for submissions: 5th International Video Poetry Festival in Athens
From The +Institute [for Experimental Arts] website, here’s the announcement of the fifth annual poetry film.video festival in Athens:
The +Institute [for Experimental Arts] and Void Network
present
the 5th International Video Poetry Festival 2016
Winter 2016
at Free Self-Organised Theatre EMBROS / Athens / GreeceThe yearly International Video Poetry Festival 2016 will be held for fifth time in Greece in Athens. Approximately 2500 people attended the festival last years.
There will be two different zones of the festival. The first zone will include video poems, visual poems, short film poems and cinematic poetry by artists from all over the world (America, Asia, Europe, Africa). The second zone will include cross-platform collaborations of sound producers and music groups with poets and visual artists in live improvisations.
The International Video Poetry Festival 2016 attempts to create an open public space for the creative expression of all tendencies and streams of contemporary visual poetry.
It is very important to notice that this festival is a part of the counter culture activities of Void Network and + the Institute [for Experimental Arts] and will be non-sponsored, free entrance, non commercial and non profit event. The festival will cover the costs (2000 posters, 15.000 flyers, high quality technical equipment) from the incomes of the bar of the festival. All the participating artists and the organizing groups will participate voluntary to the festival. This year is the first time where it will be a submission fee for the participation to the festival in order to cover the expenses of the festival. The submission fee is 5 euro for the participation. Each artist can send more than one work. (1 to 3 video poems)
Void Network started organizing multi media poetry nights in 1990. Void Network and +the Institute [for Experimental Arts] believe that multi media Poetry Nights and Video Poetry shows can vibrate in the heart of Metropolis, bring new audiences in contact with contemporary poetry and open new creative dimensions for this ancient art. To achieve this, we respect the aspirations and the objectives of the artists, create high quality self organized exhibition areas and show rooms, we work with professional technicians and we offer meeting points and fields of expression for artists and people that tend to stand antagonistically to the mainstream culture.
Please click through and scroll down for information on how to submit. The deadline for submissions is November 20, 2016.
(And thanks to the festival organizers for their kind words about Moving Poems, by the way. It’s always a pleasure to help spread the word about events showcasing poetry films and videos—the more innovative and eclectic, the better.)
Poetry film workshop in Bristol, 14-15 October
Bath Spa University is sponsoring a Liberated Words Two-Day Poetry Film Festival, led by the accomplished filmpoem makers Chaucer Cameron and Helen Dewbery. Here’s the Facebook event description:
The workshop is generously sponsored by Bath Spa University so the cost is just £10
Booking: to reserve a place contact Chaucer by email: chaucer.cameron@gmail.com
The workshop covers:
- understanding what poetry film is or can be
- viewing poetry films from around the world
- knowing where to find still and moving images
- creating images and film yourself
- where to find music and sound or get it made
- putting it all together
- where to send/show finished work
We will finish day one of the workshop making a group poetry film together. On day two, with support and collaboration, you will have the opportunity to make a poetry film of your own. We will include using archive material, still images and moving film, and using words on the screen and voiceovers. You will be encouraged to bring your own ideas and skills, and push into new realms of what poetry and poetry film can be.
It is useful, but not essential, for you to bring a laptop, and camera or mobile phone capable of taking video. If you do not have a laptop you will not be able to make your own poetry film on the day – but there is still plenty you can learn and experience – so don’t let that put you off.
An practical online handbook is available for all participants.
Please bring a packed lunch. Coffee, tea and snacks are available in the YHA café.
The workshop will be held October 14 – October 15 in the conference room, YHA Bristol, The Grain House, 14 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA. See Facebook for more information.
The Art of Poetry Film with Cheryl Gross: “Beer”
BEER
direction: Nerdo
poem: Charles Bukowski
art direction: Daniele Gavatorta
coordination: Diego Pizziconi
animation: Daniele Gavatorta, Simone Cirillo, Milena Tipaldo, Erik Righetti, and Alessandro Durando
original music and sound design: Enrico Ascoli
voiceover: David Wayne Callahan
recording engineer: Andrea Pestarino
2016
I acquired a taste for beer many years ago while at an artist residency program in Saarbrücken, Germany. I attribute this phenomenon to my good friend and installation artist, Claudia Brieske. Upon meeting the poet Nicelle Davis, I was introduced to the world of video poetry. In my opinion the two go hand-in-hand. So it’s no wonder why Beer based on a poem by the famous Charles Bukowski caught my eye. I’m a big fan of Bukowski, so to find a video poem that embraces not one but two things I am passionate about is a rare treat. In simpler terms, it’s worth the price of admission.
That being said, my favorite place to start is always with the visuals. I love fast-paced, well-designed art. The animation is smooth and lyrical. It conveys a feeling of nostalgia in a postmodern sort of way, meaning the vector images are all computer-generated, but they contain images of objects such as a telephone that were a part of life back in the 20th century. All have either disappeared already or are about to disappear.
As far as the writing is concerned, I think most of us can relate. Break-ups with women, waiting for the phone to ring, just adds to the bloat of this self-imposed condition, hobby or should I say pastime of beer drinking. But when it comes down to it, life is just a matter of waiting for the next thing, waiting for something that will get us closer to the brass ring. In the meantime we have beer, the vehicle that will help ease the frustration and pass the time.
The Art of Poetry Film with Cheryl Gross: “The Clinic”
The Clinic (Kliniken)
poem and voiceover: Annelie Axén
design and animation: Kristian Pedersen
produced by Gasspedal Animert
2010
One of my least favorite activities when I was a child was visiting the dentist. It was a major cause of anxiety. However, there is something about The Clinic that addresses this discomfort in a unique and bizarre way.
Despite my deep love for nostalgia and the fact that I lean left-of-center concerning my taste in entertainment, The Clinic kicked up memories that were not pleasant. Reminiscing about the dentist is not exactly what I call a good time and the sound of drilling puts me over the edge. Despite my discomfort, there is no doubt that it’s a great video. The visuals are clever and fit right in. I am particularly fond of the teeth x-rays, the distressed film look and the brilliant use of typography and Adobe After Effects.
The Clinic uses teeth as a metaphor. From the beginning, we are made to feel as if we are about to encounter impending doom and are made to feel nervous. We are coldly asked questions that feed into our fears and anxiety. There is no comfort offered, just more questions. Eventually it is revealed that we are just a number. As the toothless grind their jaws, perhaps the antidote to the uneasiness we feel is the white powder with our information on it.
The Clinic in my opinion is a very successful, Orwellian piece. Not only does it get the message across, but it creeps me out. Seeing the work is feeling it and again, and at the end of the day this is what matters most. It’s traditionally been said that great art should evoke powerful emotions, and by that standard, The Clinic certainly qualifies as great art.
Call for poetry films: Festival Silêncio 2016
The Festival Silêncio is coming to Lisbon at the end of June, and they’ve issued a call for poetry films to be screened during the festival. You can download PDFs of the guidelines and submission form at this link. They’re looking for films in either Portuguese or English (or with subtitles in one of those languages), up to five minutes long. The deadline for submissions is June 19.
[Update 6/6] Festival organizer Alexandre Braga sent along a plain-text version of the guidelines. I’ll paste them in below.
Guidelines
Festival Silêncio will take place between June 30 and July 3 at Cais do Sodré, Lisbon.
Festival Silêncio is the word celebration! It is a popular and transdisciplinary event that celebrates the power of words to stimulate, inspire and enhance the artistic creation, cultural reflection and collective participation. In this context, the Festival holds a Poetry Film cycle which includes a competitive section and a non-competitive section.
Poetry-film is an artistic genre that combines words, sound and vision. As stated by Alastair Cook (2010), “it is an attempt to take a poem and present it through a medium that will create a new artwork, separate from the original poem”. The competing films must use cinematic language to convey a poetic narrative.
DATE AND LOCATION
Between June 30 and July 3, 2016, in Lisbon.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- Poetry films with a maximum 5-minute duration are eligible for selection.
- There are no restrictions regarding genre, theme or approach.
- The films may be inspired by canonical poems or original poems.
- Films with incorporated voice or text and whose original version is not Portuguese should have English or Portuguese subtitles.
- There is no age limit.
- Each participant can present an unlimited number of films.
- Registration is not admissible for commercially distributed films.
REGISTRATION
- Film registration is free of charge;
- Registrations end in June 19, 2016;
- To register a film, the following elements are to be sent:
- the link to the visioning copy (youtube, vimeo). Other platforms may be accepted only if a minimum visioning quality is ensured;
- the film’s synopsis (max. 400 characters);
- the author’s biography (max. 200 characters);
- other relevant materials, such as film posters;
- duly completed registration form.
Registration documents must be sent to poetryfilm@ctlisbon.com
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECTED FILMS
Film copy (MP4 format | H264 in 1080p or 720p HD), with a maximum 5-minute duration, with English or Portuguese subtitles or dialogues.
JURY / SELECTION PROCESS
The selection jury will be appointed by the organization and its task will be to select the works to be presented.
The selection of films will take into account three categories:
- Best National Poetry Film
- Best International Poetry Film
- Public’s Selection
COPYRIGHT
Intelectual property and copyrights of the films being submitted to competition are to remain with the director. By signing the registration form, the participant declares that he or she is the author of the films being submitted and copyright holder. The participant has full responsibility for any dispute on a work’s originality and/or the ownership of the aforementioned rights. For all legal intents, every author has full responsibility on the films that he or she registers. Festival Silêncio will decline any responsibility with regard to third parties.
FINAL PROVISIONS
By registering his or her name at the Competitive Exhibition of Festival Silêncio the participant agrees that it may be fully or partially reproduced in any further locale or event related with Festival Silêncio.
In Retrospect: a Manifesto and its Underpinnings
Last summer, I was invited to present a keynote address to the Poetry/Translation/Film conference organized by the University of Montpellier. Like a tour guide, I selected 19 videopoems, introducing each one. The venue was the Utopia, an aging, funky little cinema.
A few months ago, the organizers contacted me that they intend to publish a book of the proceedings and they were going to include my Manifesto, translated into French. Could I add a text “in which you look back on what you wrote then, say if there is anything you would revise if you were to rewrite your manifesto now, tell the reader of any developments between now and then, and what you foresee for the future?”
The questions were apt, as it occurred to me that it was around this time, 5 years ago, that I began writing what turned into the Manifesto. So here it is.
For those who may have trouble accessing Academia.edu, here’s the same PDF, uploaded with Tom’s permission to Moving Poems. —Ed.
Moving Poems adds FAQ page
I’ve added a page of frequently asked questions at the main site as a drop-down from the About link in the top navigation bar. They’re listed in descending order of their frequency; the first few really are things I get asked a lot. They include: How can I submit my video to Moving Poems? Could you please tell me what you think of my poetry video? How can I get my poems made into films or animations? Will you make a video of my poem? Why isn’t there a video at [name of post]? Why don’t you take down posts where the videos have gone missing? Can you help me find [name of poet or name of filmmaker]? Why did you post my video without asking my permission? and Does anyone ever actually read FAQ pages?
If you have ideas for more questions that I should add, or especially how I might better answer some of the questions, do please let me know.
Call for submissions: 4th Ó Bhéal International Poetry-Film Competition
The Ó Bhéal website’s poetry-film competition page has just been updated with the details of the 2016 competition.
Submissions are now ÓPEN for the 4th Ó Bhéal International Poetry-Film Competition
(open for entries: 1st May – 31st August 2016)
in continued association with the IndieCork festival of independent film and music.
This is Ó Bhéal’s seventh year of screening International poetry-films (or video-poems) and the fourth year featuring an International competition.
Up to thirty films will be shortlisted and screened during the festival, during early October 2016. One winner will receive the Indie Cork / Ó Bhéal Poetry-Film prize, selected by this year’s Ó Bhéal judges, to be announced soon.
Deadline for submissions is the 31st of August 2016.
Guidelines
Entry is free to anyone, and should be made via email to poetryfilm [at] obheal.ie – including the following info in an attached word document:
- Name and duration of Film
- Name of director
- Country of origin
- Contact details
- Name of Poet
- Name of Poem
- Synopsis
- Filmmaker biography
- and a Link to download a high-resolution version of the film.
You may submit as many entries as you like. Films must interpret, be based on, or convey a poem and have been completed no earlier than the 31st August 2014. They may not exceed 10 minutes in duration. Non-English language films will require English subtitles.
The final programme (shortlist) will be available here by the end of September.
Shortlisted films may also appear in Ó Bhéal programmes at various film festivals, to date including the Clare Island Film Festival and Cyclops festval in Kiev. They are also screened throughout the year, each Monday before Ó Bhéal’s weekly poetry event.
Click through and scroll down for the previous years’ winners. Best of luck to all who enter!
