Spatial Velocities presents short experimental works by Toshio Matsumoto and Takashi Ito. Matsumoto was a pioneer of experimental cinema and video art in Japan, known for his influential avant-garde short and feature films including Funeral Parade of Roses (1969), Dogura Magura (1988), theoretical writings, and teachings. He was a professor and dean of Arts at Kyoto University of Art and Design, where he taught then student Takashi Ito in the early 80s, one of Japan’s most important experimental filmmakers, who was inspired by Matsuoto’s short Ātman (1975) for it’s formal experiments with photography, space, time and animation. Under Matsumoto’s supervision at the University, Ito created his formidable debut 16mm film Spacy (1981). Still a student, Ito created Thunder (1982) further solidifying his rigorous utilization of photographic sequencing. This program presents the aforementioned short works by Matsumoto and Ito, alongside a selection of their experimental works that explore Matsumoto’s concept of ‘neo-documentarism’, in which he proposed a ‘new realism’ by merging documentary with the avant garde.
*PLEASE BE ADVISED: Some of the films in this program have a strobing effect that may affect photosensitive viewers.
For the Damaged Right Eye, dir. Toshio Matsumoto (13 min)
Thunder, dir. Takashi Ito (5 min)
Phantom, dir. Toshio Matsumoto (10 min)
Wall, dir. Takashi Ito (7 min)
Engram, dir. Toshio Matsumoto (12 min)
Monochrome Head, dir. Takashi Ito (10 min)
Atman, dir. Toshio Matsumoto (12 min)
Spacy, dir. Takashi Ito (9 min)
Enigma, dir. Toshio Matsumoto (3 min)
The Moon, dir. Takashi Ito (7 min)
Generously sponsored by IATSE 856 Manitoba.
