Re: Conference: The Real History of UK Artist Film & Video - Ha! Ha!

From: Roger Beebe (email suppressed)
Date: Fri May 11 2007 - 06:24:03 PDT


For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure it's not Bill Brown, director of
"The Other Side" and other beautiful, contemplative 16mm
travelogues. It's not his email address in any case. There's
another Bill Brown who makes art--last time I heard he was performing
plays for surveillance cameras in NYC--but I have no idea if it's
THAT Bill Brown. Could there be a third? It seems like a pretty
popular name to adopt as a nom de plume...

Hmmm...
R.

On May 11, 2007, at 11:25 AM, Nicky Hamlyn wrote:

> Maybe "Bill Brown" can answer that for you!
> Nicky.
> john porter writes:
>> Thanks Nicky,
>> It all sounds very serious to me, but you're there and
>> I'm not.
>> I'm not too proud to ask: where's the clue that it's
>> all a joke? Is it obvious, or a UK in-joke, or a
>> Frameworks in-joke?
>> I guess I don't know enough about either the real or
>> the unreal history.
>> Is there a Bill Brown? Do you know him?
>> John. --- Nicholas Hamlyn <email suppressed>
>> wrote:
>>> That's cos he's "joking". On 10 May 2007, at 17:55, john porter
>>> wrote: > Thanks Bill,
>>> > Any deatails online? I couldn't find Thin Air
>>> Films.
>>> > John.
>>> >
>>> > --- Bill Brown <email suppressed> wrote:
>>> >
>>> >> To coincide with the publication of David
>>> Curtis’s A
>>> >> History of Artist Film & Video in Britain, TAF
>>> (Thin
>>> >> Air Films) will be staging a one-day conference
>>> and
>>> >> associated screening. The conference will examine
>>> >> the
>>> >> trajectory of post war funding for artist
>>> >> experimental
>>> >> film & video in the UK and in particular will
>>> look
>>> >> at
>>> >> Arts Council funding under the direction of David
>>> >> Curtis and how through careful stage management
>>> >> funds
>>> >> were restricted to a small number of filmmakers
>>> and
>>> >> denied to many more. Key speakers will examine
>>> how
>>> >> following the setting up of the London Film
>>> makers
>>> >> Co-op and London Video Arts, the funding, making
>>> and
>>> >> distribution of avant-garde films and videos in
>>> the
>>> >> UK
>>> >> was effectively controlled for a generation by a
>>> >> small
>>> >> London based group of men. How this same group
>>> >> dominated experimental film & video in the UK for
>>> >> the
>>> >> next 40 years both by denying funding and access
>>> to
>>> >> anyone outside the group (through overt and
>>> covert
>>> >> censorship) but also through controlling non
>>> >> mainstream film education at institutions such as
>>> >> the
>>> >> Royal College. The conference will also examine
>>> how
>>> >> written debate and discourse on experimental film
>>> &
>>> >> video in publications such as Undercut was
>>> >> restricted
>>> >> to the same small group and finally how this
>>> group
>>> >> as
>>> >> it nears retirement now seeks to enshrine its
>>> >> position
>>> >> for posterity by the publication of numerous
>>> >> histories
>>> >> of experimental film & video.
>>> >>
>>> >> The screening entitled All The Films That Were
>>> Never
>>> >> Funded will not include seminal works by Peter
>>> >> Gidal,
>>> >> Malcolm LeGrice, Guy Sherwin. John Smith or any
>>> of
>>> >> the
>>> >> other filmmakers whose work has been funded and
>>> >> promoted by Curtis but will feature instead a
>>> blank
>>> >> screen lit by a single bulb in honour of all that
>>> >> films that were never funded and all the
>>> creativity
>>> >> that was suppressed.
>>> >>
>>> >> Conference to be held at the North Bank Centre on
>>> >> May
>>> >> the 16th 2007.
>> John Porter, Toronto, Canada
>> http://www.super8porter.ca/
>> email suppressed Be smarter than spam. See how smart
>> SpamGuard is at giving junk email the boot with the All-new Yahoo!
>> Mail at http://mrd.mail.yahoo.com/try_beta?.intl=ca
>> __________________________________________________________________
>> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
>
>
> __________________________________________________________________
> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.

__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.