Surreal Shorts with live score by Peter Knight & Dung Nguyen
Join us as we breakout of the confines of filmmaking convention with a selection of silent shorts that fuse together Surrealism, Dadaism, and broader twentieth century experimental practice to bizarre effect. For the first time, musicians Peter Knight and Dũng Nguyễn present their new jazz scores to these works live on stage.
Meshes of the Afternoon
Dir. Maya Deren & Alexander Hammid, 1943, USA, 14 mins
A residential streetscape intersects with the protagonist’s dreamscape in Maya Deren’s seminal mid-century experimental film.
Anémic Cinéma
Dir. Marcel Duchamp, 1926, France, 7 mins.
Through a series of shots of spiral patterns in motion, optical illusions transcend the confines of the two-dimensional in one of Marcel Duchamp’s modernist masterpieces.
L’étoile de mer (The Starfish)
Dir. Man Ray, 1928, France, 21 mins.
Inspired by a poem written by famed Surrealist Robert Desnos, Man Ray directs a parade of moments in a couple’s lives that flow together with woozy effect.
This very special outdoor screening and performance is free to attend. Arrive early to grab a deckchair or bring your own chair or picnic rug.
About Peter Knight
Perpetually curious, composer/trumpeter/sound artist Peter Knight’s practice exists in the spaces between categories, genres, and cultures.
In recent years Peter has emerged as a significant international force in contemporary music, with commissions, collaborations, and performances with artists including, Anthony Braxton (USA), as a soloist with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Nicole Lizée (Canada), Hand to Earth (Arnhem Land/Korea), Senyawa (Indonesia), Baliphonics (Sri Lanka), and Alvin Lucier (USA). His most recent release is a solo record on ROOM40, Shadow Phase, which was named among Best Releases of 2022 by Headphone Commute.
Credits
Composers: Peter Knight and Dũng Nguyễn
Musicians:
Peter Knight - composer, trumpet, electronics, Revox B77 reel-to-reel
Dũng Nguyễn – dan tranh, dan bau, (Vietnamese zithers) dan nguyet (moon lute)
Minh Ha Patmore – dan t’rung (Vietnamese percussion)
Erik Griswold – prepared upright piano, melodica
Vanessa Tomlinson – vibraphone, percussion
Presented by Fed Square and supported by ACMI and Insite Arts