AgX is excited to welcome filmmaker Tomonari Nishikawa for an evening of film and live projection performances. Two of his older single-channel works will be presented on 35mm and 16mm, alongside two new expanded cinema performance pieces utilizing both 16mm motion picture and photographic slide projectors. Often foregrounding process, Nishikawa’s works draw on the mundane and commonplace to create new pathways to perception.
Doors open at 7:00PM - Show at 7:30PM
Seating is first-come, first served.
Admission is free, however a $5-15 suggested donation is encouraged.
Masks/facial coverings are required, and Covid testing ahead of time is strongly encouraged. Thank you for doing your part to help keep the community safe!
PROGRAM:
Lumphini 2552 (2009) 35mm, sound, 3 mins.“This film was shot using a still camera at Lumphini Park in Bangkok, Thailand. The hand-processed visuals showcase the organic patterns found in this monumental park, constructing a systematic yet emotional rhythm on screen. The accompanying soundtrack comes from the photographed image extending into the optical sound area of the filmstrip. Lumphini is named for Lumbini, the Sanskrit name for the birthplace of the Buddha in Nepal, and 2552 on the Buddhist calendar corresponds to the year 2009 on the Gregorian calendar.”
Six Seventy-Two Variations, Variation 2 (2022) 16mm film projection performance, sound, approx. 30 mins.“I use a wood carving knife to scratch off the photographic emulsion on a looped filmstrip in this live performance. Scratched patterns, consisting of mostly horizontal lines, appear as an abstract animation on the screen, and produce noises as the area of the filmstrip reserved for the optical soundtrack is also scratched.”
45 7 Broadway (2013) 16mm, sound, 5 mins.“This is about Times Square, the noise and movements at this most well-known intersection. I used a color separation technique – it was originally shot on black-and-white film through color filters (red, green, and blue) – then optically printed onto color film through these filters. The layered images, shot with a handheld camera, agitate the scenes, and advertisements on the digital billboards try to pull ahead of others.”
Performance for Three Slide Projectors (2022) slide projection performance, sound, approx. 20 mins.“I use 3 slide projectors to show slides with colors filters – red, green and blue – while controlling a timer to adjust the duration of each color to be projected.” Please note: This performance features a strobing effect that may trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy.
Total Running Time: Approx. 60 mins.
BIO:
Tomonari Nishikawa’s films explore ideas of documenting scenes in public spaces as transformed by a chosen medium / format and technique, while his performances focus on the processes of creating visual and auditory phenomena using analog devices including 16mm film and photographic slide projectors. He is based in Vestal, NY, and Tokyo, Japan. Nishikawa teaches in the Cinema Department at Binghamton University in New York.