While I was there I received an email from someone inquiring about my Arnulf Rainer tattoo. Her name was Martina Kudláček, the director of the great documentary "In the Mirror of Maya Deren". I was a little starstruck when I first got the email because I'd projected the film many years ago while working at the Anthology Film Archives in New York City. It was a brilliant portrait of one of the worlds greatest filmmakers.So, when she wanted to interview me for the Peter Kubelka tattoo I had I was very honored.
So, we met at the Anthology Film Archives and she interviewed me in the projection booth of the Maya Deren theatre where I'd projected for many years. It was a strange experience because I kind of felt like I'd carried myself well during the interview, but when it was over I completely crashed out from jet lag.
Fast forward about 4 years and I received a message on a social media site from a friend of mine that they'd just seen me in a movie at the Rotterdam Film Festival. For a moment I thought, "I didn't know Mike [Kuchar] was submitting his films to Rotterdam." Then I went to look up the program I saw a film titled "Fragments of Kubelka".
I quickly emailed Martina and asked her about the documentary. Of course, I was eager to see it, but I thought it was stuck for a little while. She later told me that it was a crazy rush to finish the edit and get the HDcam tape over to Rotterdam. But at that time she replied to my email saying that the film was basically finished and it was making the festival rounds.
Jump again another few months and I get an email from Martina stating that the film had been accepted to the New York Film Festival in the Views of the Avant-Garde section and that she wanted to make sure I was able to come so she would pay for my flight out.
I was floored. Without a thought I emailed her back and picked out a flight and held my patience. While I waited rather impatiently I looked at the other screenings that were coming up during the festival. I saw that Jodie Mack had a new film and so did Peggy Awash and Peter Kubelka had two big screenings later the same day that the "Fragments..." was screening. It was described as a film experience where the original "Arnulf Rainer" would be screened and a new accompanying film "Antiphon" would also be screened. First each would be screened individually, then side-by-side in a double projection and finally as a double projection over lapping each other.
I was really excited for that and I counted down the days til I could see this.
Finally when the screening came my hair was standing on end. It was a near full house in the classic Walter Reade auditorium at Lincoln Center. Naturally I was in the first row because I wanted to make sure the
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| yes, that's Kubelka's iPad |
I would push this one step further and it makes us aware of how we see. There is a strange phenomenon with flicker films that occurs somewhere in the processing of our vision. I have seen this with some of Kubelka's films, Paul Sharits' films, Tony Conrad's films, Jodie Mack's films and others. I have even experimented with it myself.
Our brain some how has a hard time with such a drastic change. Our brain creates a mixture of the previous image and the next image. With a change such as full color like many Sharits' films and "Arnulf Rainer" one color dominates while the other dissipates in ripples. With one change this is change is not apparent at all. However, with multiple changes one right after the other in quick succession the phenomenon is very obvious.
This is a strange phenomenon because the dissipated image appears to be in space in front of the screen. The fleeting image is like an ink blot - it's very different every time and it's just abstract randomness. Sometimes it takes the shape of swirls, lines, simple shapes, but in the end it is like looking at clouds and you see what you want to see. It appears and disappears almost instantaneously like the smoke bomb of a magic trick. It's like a hallucination or trick-of-the-eye. With "Arnulf Rainer" and with "The Flicker" you can see color even though both films are completely black and white.
However, this phenomenon is enhanced dramatically with the double projection super imposed "Arnulf Rainer" "Antiphon". "Antiphon" a complete counter to "Arnulf Rainer". It is the same number of frames, but where "Arnulf Rainer" is black "Antiphon" is white. Where "Arnulf Rainer" has noise "Antiphon" is silent and the reverse.
So, with the double projection super imposed you would anticipate the entire experience is white image and noise, which is true and yet still the phenomenon occurs.
It is an unexplainable experience because the phenomenon does not occur while running no film in a projector. It still flickers with the shutter. Even if you slow down the frame rate in an attempt to leave more time of black or white. This phenomenon only occurs with a film running through a projector. And just as Kubleka explains it makes you self aware every moment. The film is only 6 minutes, but it feels exceedingly longer.
I was so moved in the viewing that I had to go to the second screening and sit in the front and again experience the phenomenon again. The second instance was dramatically more special because Kubelka pulled out a reel of "Antiphon" and had everyone pass it around to look at. We all held the film in our hands at the same time (because I was in front I got the title, naturally). Then we watched the double projection while holding the film we were watching in full 35mm in our palms. Then in all it's sad symbolism Kubelka had us dissect the film into pieces and take home our little piece of history.
It was an experience I will never forget and I can only hope to one day affect someone in the same way that Kubelka has affected me.
Obviously, I spent the rest of the night handing out pieces of the title to all my friends. So my piece has since been cut down, but that was all the people in the world who really would have loved to have a piece anyway.
