ICO Essentials: Modernity

Abstract animation by Len Lye, made by painting directly onto film.

Ballet Mécanique dates from the period when architects talked about the machine civilization. Structured by a rhythm, the visual material is arranged like the sections of an orchestra.

The first in a series of films by the British sculptor, History of Nothing uses some of Paolozzi’s collages and screen printed work for which he came to be identified with British Pop art.

Lichtspiel, Schwarz-Weiß-Grau pairs Moholy-Nagy’s machine with the apparatus of cinema to achieve a two-fold celebration of technology and a record of this abstract scheme of light and shadow in motion.

A pioneer of visual music and electronic art.

‘A story of the washing of a school play yard.’ Filmed on a 16mm hand-held-camera, an office colleague was given technical charge of the hose, directing the movement of soapy water across the asphalt.

A ‘sound-picture-collage’. Kriwet created the work Apollovision whilst in America at the time of the Apollo moon launch, his aim being to compose a work derived from all the information he gathered on radio and television about the Apollo 11 launch.

Funded by the Ford Foundation, Kustom Kar Kommandos was originally conceived as a feature-length film starring the customized car as a fetish object and tribal totem.

Predominantly known for her work in sculpture, Benglis produced a body of feminist video in the 1970s. The Grunions are Running is one of several works using footage filmed from the television screen.

Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore uses found and original footage of discos and raves across Britain during the 70s, 80s and 90s.