How is technology changing the way we make, view and distribute art? Gabriel Shalom made this film by interviewing artists at the Transmediale festival 2011 in Berlin, Germany. It was produced by KS12.
Author Archives: Cimaxion
Mubarak Wants His Bullets Back
Violent news footage showing death of an Egyptian protester:
I suspect that the people of Egypt will want to return this bullet to Mubarak as soon as possible.
Facts About Projection – A Film by Temujin Doran
Filmmaker and projectionist Temujin Doran made a film about his love of his work in a small London movie theater.
Via Brain Pickings.
Rising to High Places – 1963 Documentary On Office Buildings
A great example of mid-twentieth century English pride in… office buildings! This is a 1963 production of the Rank Organization. My depressing view on modern city skylines, regardless of how beautiful they may be at night, is that all those magnificent towers are simple stacks of flimsy cubicles and low ceilings with ugly lighting. Modern cities are nothing more than support structures for desks.
The Secret Identity of Author B. Traven
B. Traven was the mysterious best-selling author of the novel, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, which was made into a classic film by director John Huston in the 1940s. But who was B. Traven? The mystery surrounding his identity remains fascinating to this day. There have been many theories about who he was, whether he was several people, whether he was an expatriate German or perhaps even the President of Mexico. People in the film world apparently thought they would have meetings with him, but were then informed that a representative would show up. But was the representative actually B. Traven?
When an artist hides his or her identity many theories develop. Modern figures who have cribbed from Traven’s playbook are the novelist Thomas Pynchon and the painter Banksy who really have no reasons for remaining anonymous beyond the artistic jolt that a secret identity personally gives them. It’s not the crooks that interest Batman after all – it’s the secret identity. A secret identity makes you better in every way because it turns you immediately into a work of art. All artists should be mysteries. At the very least, they should tell lots of lies.
I present this post and its excellent documentary as part of my preparations for an upcoming film. Getting the right mood.
Part 2
Parts 3 – 6 after the jump.
Get Down With Hamlet in a Graveyard
From Shake, Mr. Shakespeare (1936).