In no special order the best and notable artists’ moving image books and DVDs of 2010, my memory is a little foggy so please remind me any inevitable omissions.. Generally I think it was a better year for DVDs than books – but I stand to be corrected.. so here we go.
Harun Farocki. Against What? Against Whom? Ed. Antje Ehmann and Kodwo Eshun. Book published by Koenig Books in UK. Kicking the year off, a lovingly compiled and long overdue UK book on the work of influential German artist filmmaker, Harun Farocki edited by Antje and Kodwo of The Otolith Group (if you haven’t seen it also check out their beautifully produced book on the Black Audio Film Collective), published as part of the Farocki exhibition they curated at Raven Row.
Len Lye, ed. Tyler Cann and Wystan Curnow. Book published in NZ by Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and the Len Lye Foundation. Although officially 2009 this didn’t reach us until 2010, and coincides with a major Len Lye exhibition at Ikon Gallery Birmingham (still on now), the definitive publication on Lye’s work with much new and unseen material.
Pat O’Neill, 6 DVDs self-published in USA. Definitely the self-publishing DVD event of the year, 6 DVDs from West-coast experimental film legend Pat O’Neill released on DVD for the first time. Available from the LUX Shop in the New Year, or direct from Pat now.
Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis, Mary Jordan. DVD published in USA by New Video Group. Mary Jordan’s interesting documentary on Jack Smith gets a DVD release, part of a storm of controversy over ownership of his work a couple of years ago – I hope his films will come back into circulation soon!
By Brakhage: An Anthology, Volume 2. DVD released in USA by Criterion. What’s to say, another amazing Brakhage release from Criterion.
ETC: Experimental Television Center 1969-2009. 5 DVD set and book published in USA by the Experimental Television Center. This could be the DVD release of the year, a huge compilation (19 hours!) of work produced by artists as part of the ETC residency programme over the past 40 years, featuring many many artists.
Patrick Keiller Boxset. DVD published in France by E.D. Distribution. London and Robinson in Space have been available on DVD for some time but what’s exciting here is the inclusion of Patrick’s great and hard to see early films.
John Latham: Films 1960 – 1971. DVD published in UK by LUX and Lisson Gallery, available from the LUX Shop.
I know we shouldn’t really blow our own trumpet but this was a labour of love for us, all of John’s films plus unseen documentation, new audio commentaries and a new essay by Mark Webber! What’s more to want?
Conditioned. A DVD compilation of eight experimental film and video art from Turkey that explores the intellectual conditioning of children and teenagers through both the educational system and contemporary Turkish society at large. Published by Lowave in France. French label Lowave have been doing really interesting work putting new and less visible artists’ work on the radar, this release includes great work by some of the most interesting artists working with video in Turkey today.
A History of Swedish Experimental Film Culture, From Early Animation to Video Art, Edited by Astrid Söderbergh Widding, John Sundholm, Lars Gustaf Andersson. Book published in UK by John Libbey Publishing. Scholarly essential history of Swedish experimental film.
DVD Light Cone Cooperative – Cinexpérimentaux #8 2002-2008, 22′ by Frédérique Devaux & Michel Amarger. DVD published in France by Re-Voir. with bonus extras: Germaine Dulac, Arabesque, Robert Breer, Eyewash, Gill Eatherley, Hand Grenade, Metamkine, ACIDFILMDADVD
A film about the unsung heroes of artists’ film, the distributor – this time our sister organisation in Paris, Lightcone plus a selection of some of the great works they distribute (so when’s someone going to make a film about LUX?)
Revealing the Invisible, The Art of Stansfield/Hooykaas from Different Perspectives, ed Madelon Hooykaas en Claire van Putten Book/DVD Published by Uitgeverij De Buitenkant in the Netherlands.
Really beautiful book and DVD (with a very nice sparkly blue cover) on the long collaboration between pioneering video art duo, Elsa Stansfield and Madeleon Hooykaas (exhibition currently showing at CCA Glasgow)
Vital Signals: Early Japanese Video Art. DVD and book published in USA by EAI.
Impressive collection of early Japanese Video Art from the 1960s and 70s Including works by key figures of the period such Takahiko Iimura, Mako Idemitsu and Toshio Matsumoto.
Radical Light. Alternative Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945-2000, Steve Anker, Kathy Geritz, and Steve Seid (ed.). Book published in USA by University of California Press. This could be the book of the year for me, a wide-ranging account of the history of artists’ film and video in the Bay Area edited by three key figures who have been instrumental in shaping the scene there.
The Modern City. Film Collection of the Centre Pompidou. DVD published in France by Centre Pompidou. Thoughtful collection of artists’ films from the Pompidou film collection exploring the rise of the modern city with work by Paul Strand, William Klein, Peter Hutton and more.
Cine a contracorriente, un recorrido por el otro cine Latinoamericano/ Countercurrent film, a tour of the other Latin American Cinema. DVD published in Spain by Cameo.
I haven’t actually seen this yet, a collection of experimental work from Latin America – but these people also put out the amazing collection of Spanish work Del éxtasis al arrebato,last year so it is sure to be good.
Dara Birnbaum: Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman. Book published in UK by Afterall, available from LUX Shop. The latest edition to Afterall’s excellent One Work series, T.J Demos on Birnbaum’s seminal video.
AnimateTV: 20 Years of Experimental Animation from the UK. DVD published in UK by Animate Projects, available from the LUX Shop
Entertaining and dizzyingly diverse collection of experimental animations produced by animate and channel 4 over the past 20 years
When I Sit Down to Write – Two Films by Samuel Stevens. Self-published in the UK, available from LUX Shop. This is my favourite self-published micro-release of 2010, two films from LUX Associate Artist Samuel Stevens exploring issues of migration in contemporary Spain with a thoughtful Orwell-inspired booklet.
The Hidden Decade: Polish Video Art 1985-1995. Biligual Book and 4 DVD set published in Poland by the WRO Art Center. Fascinating, comprehensive survey of the development of video art in a critical moment in Polish history.
