Jaap Pieters: The Eye of Amsterdam
October 13 2011. 8pm. Facebook invite
“There is something inexplicable and strangely exquisite about the Super-8mm films of Dutch artist Jaap Pieters. A longtime icon of small-gauge filmmaking who has shown in cinemas, art spaces, and festivals throughout Europe, Pieters is often compared to Warhol because of his preference for single takes and a fixed camera. The films generally focus on the down-and-out passersby on the street outside his home in Amsterdam, and many of the movies are actually shot from his window. Possessed with an empathetic eye and incredible timing, Pieters captures metaphorical images and private performances that transcend the everyday moments in which they were framed.” – Anthology Film Archives
This is the inaugural U.S. tour showcasing the Super8 films of Dutch filmmaker Jaap Pieters, coinciding with his screenings at Anthology Film Archives, and in collaboration with musicians/sound artists Travis Bird (New Orleans) and Evan Lindorff-Ellery (Vermont).
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Jaap Pieters has been taking photographs and making Super 8 films for the last three decades, and is a well-known presence in Europe. Beginning with his first solo program in Istanbul in 1997, he has shown regularly throughout virtually all corners of Europe, including on tours of Switzerland, Germany, and Spain, as well as in Paris, Athens, Copenhagen, and many more. He is also a fixture at IFF Rotterdam, and has shown at all manner of alternative venues along the way. For slightly more, visit jaappieters.com.
Travis Bird is a guitarist, composer, and writer focused on both songwriting and improvisation. Active in Chicago since 2007 and recently relocated to New Orleans, he has worked in a wide variety of musical environments, equally at home with abstract improvisation and traditional songcraft. In addition to his musical activities, since 2010 he has co-curated (with Evan Lindorff-Ellery) Notice Recordings, a boutique cassette label that has released his own work as well as that of other experimental musicians; he edits and regularly contributes pieces to the Foxy Digitalis webzine. For more info, see travisrbird.wordpress.com.
Evan Lindorff-Ellery, currently based in his native Vermont, is developing a uniquely abstract yet deliberate style in both visual and sound art. As de facto art director of Notice Recordings, his original drawings adorn most of the label’s releases; they have also been published in online and in print form, most recently by the artist Jez Riley French. Musically, Lindorff-Ellery works with consumergrade and analog electronics, recordings of his surroundings, and layered processes to craft subtle yet richly layered sound environments connoting both isolation and home. More available at lindorffellery.wordpress.com.
