We may have lost the Angelika Film Center for now, but there's been some good news for independent media in Houston this week. And this month, innovators in Texas-based multimedia will be focus of the Media Archeology Festival, presented by Aurora Picture Show in collaboration with UH's Mitchell Center for the Arts.
First up, local graffiti artists will get their chance to tag a Renzo Piano building, and the cleanup won't cost the city a dime. The festival kicks off at 8 p.m., Sept. 16 at the Aurora Picture Show Video Library (1524 Sul Ross St.) with "Laser Graffiti." Presented by Graffiti Research Lab Houston, the interactive performance allows audience members to write on the side of the Menil Collection using lasers (see above) and text messaging.
Some in Houston might not be aware that the protest of a Swedish adult film caused the arson of the Heights Theater in 1969. The furor was over Vilgot Sjoman's I Am Curious (Yellow), which the Hollywood Reporter called a "Jean-Luc Godard wannabe." The film doesn't necessarily convey unbridled eroticism as much as it captures an afterglow. It's as interested in class distinctions and politics as it is in sex. Potter-Belmar Labs (husband-and-wife artist team Leslie Raymond and Jay Stevens) will present I Am Curious Remix, inspired by the fire that almost destroyed the theater, and which will explore themes of censorship and violence. Due to adult content, no kiddos. The clip above is from a Potter-Belmar Labs performance last year.
I Am Curious Remix will screen 8 p.m., Sept. 17 at Heights Theater, 339 W. 19th St
The festival concludes with a projection performance by Luke Savisky, who uses projections of audience members' faces and bodies in interactive video perfromances. For his September 18 performance E/x, Savisky will utilize the abandoned grain silos at the Buffalo Bayou Partnership's East End site (490 N. Live Oak) as a giant screening surface at 8 p.m. on September 18. This we can't miss. The above clip is from Savisky's performance Stepchild, a video installation at the amphitheater of Austin City Hall, April 28, 2010.
