Oddball Films presents Off the Canvas - Art in Motion, a lush evening of moving artistry. With a who's who of kinetic art as well as some beautiful pieces of the fluid process of creativity, it's a visually enticing and inspiringly creative program. Films include the mesmerizing documentary Kinetic Art in Paris (1971), a viscerally challenging, kaleidoscopic homage to light, sound and motion featuring some of the world’s foremost kinetic artists. Belgian documentarian Paul Haesaerts attains intimate access to Picasso's artistic process with the help of giant panes of glass in the eye-popping A Visit to Picasso (1949). See the inventive motile sculptures of Len Lye in an excerpt from the dynamic documentary Art of the Sixties (1968). Innovator of the mobile and sculpture superstar, Alexander Calder plays and performs with his miniature hand-crafted kinetic circus in the charming Calder's Circus (1963). George Kuchar brings us a fun and frenzied portrait of his friend and local artist in The Lady From Sands Point (1967).
Date: Thursday, January 31st, 2013 at 8:00PM
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco
Admission: $10.00 RSVP (Limited seating) to programming@oddballfilm.com or 415.558.8117.
Highlights Include:
A Visit to Picasso (B+W, 1949)
This elegant document of artistry in motion features Pablo Picasso in his studio, painting on large panels of glass stationed in front of the camera, exposing his fluid, masterful and often hilarious artistic process. Mesmerizing and inspiring! Directed by Belgian filmmaker Paul Haesaerts and nominated for a BAFTA in 1951.
Kinetic Art in Paris (Color, 1971)
The works of Kinetic artists Julio Le Parc, Victor Vasarely, John Rock Yvar aren’t the only things explored in detail in this ultra rare, quirky documentary that features music from the short-lived cult British pop duo White Trash. Viscerally challenging, this kaleidoscopic homage to light, sound, motion and restraint is quintessential viewing for anyone with a desire to be fascinated by anything…even if just for a moment. Don’t miss this!
Art of the Sixties (1968, Color, Excerpt)
Produced and narrated by WCBS Arts Critic Leonard Harris, this fascinating documentary profilescontemporary artists who broke down the barriers of art in the 1960's to create kinetic sculptures, mixed montages and pop art. This excerpt features sculptor Len Lye creating wildly inventive kinetic works. The film captures an exciting era and some of it's foremost innovators.
To view Len Lye's kinetic sculptures visit:
Calder’s Circus (Color, 1963)
Before his rise to fame as the artist to popularize the mobile, kinetic sculptor Alexander Calder created a miniature moving circus out of wire, wood and cloth. In 1963, filmmaker Carlos Vilardebo filmed the icon performing his circus. As Calder exhibits the piece, we watch as Calder blurs the line between presentation and play. This remarkable circus comes to life, sometimes on it’s own, sometimes in conjunction with other elements and always in an astonishing manner.
The Lady from Sands Point (B+W, 1967)
A charming George Kuchar portrait of local artist, Betty Holliday. A grandfather of underground film, an inspiration to countless filmmakers like John Waters and Todd Solondz, George Kuchar never stopped creating films throughout his life. He made raunchy melodramas, goofy tornado-chasing diaries, and throughout the years, George was filming those artists around him that inspired him. The Lady from Sands Point is one of these portraits, and a tantallizing and entertaining one at that. He documents his friend and local artist, Betty Holliday, but in a way that only George could have done, with a zippy soundtrack and unique editing that seem to make the artwork dance across the screen.