Re: [microsound] "Expanded Cinema"

[tad <tad@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 7/15/02 at 3:40 PM, pelagius pelagius <pela_gius@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I wonder if it's relevant that some early experimental film
> pioneers (John Whitney, Jordan Belson and Oskar Fischinger come
> to mind) were doing commercial special effects work and working
> full-time on developing new technical processes.

I think you should keep in mind that at the time these folks were
active, film was much more a cottage industry. It's probably more to the
point that they "took in" commercial work to their art studios to
support themselves.

Rather like Robert Mappelthorpe doing product photography for Tiffany's
or Warhol's early commercial art

> Maybe a
> comparison should be made with people working at a place like
> Pixar rather than people "vj-ing" in their spare time.  Are any
> of the current cgi whizzes creating anything interesting
> outside of the office?

In the mid-80's Bill Kolomyjec, who was teaching in Illinois, very
active in SCAN (Small Computers in the Arts Network) with Joel Chadabe
took a job with Pixar.

Walter Wright, who's covered in the Ars Electronica catalog, took a job
with Truevision, then makers of the TARGA video boards.

Both were back teaching and doing their art after a couple of years...


<tad@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>