Crossroads: A Tribute to Bruce Conner
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 8pm
55 33rd Street, 3rd Floor
Brooklyn, New York
The passing of Bruce Conner in July of this year allowed for reflection on his influence, which proves substantial and pervasive as we continue through the first years of the 21st century. In the expansion of American experimental filmmaking in the 1950s and 60s, Conner pushed the emerging practice of re-editing found footage to new heights of wit and profundity with films like A Movie (1958), Cosmic Ray (1962) and Report (1967), continuing his mastery of the idiom in subsequent years with works such as Crossroads (1976), which will undoubtedly stand as one of the definitive artistic statements of the nuclear age. Alongside Kenneth Anger and Andy Warhol, Conner also served as one of the major innovators in conjoining art and pop music, making Breakaway (1966) with then-girl-group singer Toni Basil, and collaborating with Devo, David Byrne and Brian Eno. Today, Conner¹s accomplishments reverberate throughout contemporary creative culture, from the popular practice of internet mash-ups to the predominance of found-footage re-use in today¹s 16mm filmmaking, assemblage and collage in gallery spaces, and media remixing in the electronic arts.
To honor his legacy, Light Industry invited an intergenerational roster of 25 artists from multiple disciplines to create and present works inspired by and in tribute of Conner.
Participating artists: Peggy Ahwesh, Animal Charm, Craig Baldwin, Stephanie Barber, Dara Birnbaum, Roger Beebe, John Michael Boling, Bryan Boyce, Martha Colburn, Bradley Eros, Kevin Everson, Ernie Gehr, Michael Gitlin and Jacqueline Goss, Ken Jacobs, Kent Lambert, Oliver Laric, Jeanne Liotta, Eileen Maxson, Jenny Perlin, Luther Price, Michael Robinson, Keith Sanborn, Sylvia Schedelbauer, Deborah Stratman, Aaron Valdez
Tickets - $6, available at door. Part of the evening's proceeds will go to benefit Anthology Film Archives's preservation of Bruce Conner's films.
builds a sustainable community in a context that integrates cultural and industrial production.
About Light Industry
Light Industry is a new venue for film and electronic art in Brooklyn,
New York. Developed and overseen by Thomas Beard and Ed Halter, the
project has begun as a series of weekly events at Industry City in
Sunset Park, each organized by a different artist, critic, or curator.
Conceptually, Light Industry draws equal inspiration from the long
history of alternative art spaces in New York as well its storied
tradition of cinematheques and other intrepid film exhibitors. Through
a regular program of screenings, performances, and lectures, its goal
is to explore new models for the presentation of time-based media and
foster an ongoing dialogue amongst a wide range of artists and
audiences within the city.
About Industry City
Industry City, an industrial complex in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, is home
to a cross-section of manufacturing, warehousing and light industry. As
part of a regeneration program intended to diversify the use of its 6
million square feet of space to better reflect 21st century production,
Industry City now includes workspace for artists. In addition to
offering studios at competitive rates, Industry City also provides a
limited number of rent-stabilized studios for artists in need of
low-cost rental space. This program was conceived in response to the
lack of affordable workspace for artists in New York City and aims to
establish a new paradigm for industrial redevelopment--one that does
not displace artists, workers, local residents or industry but instead