Video – Page 26 – Frames of Reference

Out Along Lee

Sometimes it’s the Lee, other times it’s the Lea, and most times it’s confusing. The River Lea rises at Leagrave, north of London near Luton (Leatown) and flows south via Leyton (Leatown) to join the River Thames at Leamouth. Over the years many of its twists and turns got straightened out to make it more easily navigable and the artificial channels and canals became known as the Lee Navigation. Nowadays the river (Lea) and the canal (Lee) are almost indistinguishable. Continue reading “Out Along Lee”

Making Visible

To the Tate Modern on the first Saturday of 2014, to see their beautiful exhibition, Paul Klee: Making Visible, the perfect antidote to our cold, dark, damp, grey January daze. It was just before twelfth night, so another midwinter festive celebration of light and warmth and colour. Continue reading “Making Visible”

Movements And Their Images

This is good. I was looking for a film about Victor Skipp. I’d read that Candida Richardson had made a film about his home, which I wrote about in my previous post. But instead I found this. A beautifully simple essay on Linda Karshan’s drawings. I discovered her work 10 years ago in Notting Hill Books where I found a catalogue of her 2002 exhibition at Institut Valencià d’Art Modern. It’s a book that I treasure for many reasons. Now there’s a very good film to accompany it.

Learning To Listen

The premiere screening of Learning to Listen, a documentary experimental-music/sound-art film by Dan Linn-Pearl, at Café Oto, 4pm January 18th 2014, Free Entry (RSVP deafpictures@gmail.com).

Along The Sunken Lanes

A short film remembering summer days on the Hampshire/Wiltshire border, thanks to Diana Hale. More here – The Memory Band: Field Reports.

A Network Of Trees

This short film opens up a different understanding of forests and the interactions between trees facilitated by fungi – inspiring stuff reinforcing the importance of respecting the complexity of forests across both species diversity and age diversity. Professor Suzanne Simard of the University of British Columbia highlights the importance of Mother or Granny Trees in these networks.

PS: You might also like to see another blogpost – Tree Of Life.

Cicada

In this bleak midwinter please excuse me while I indulge in a few holiday photos. Here’s a glass of light to brighten these dark days and to toast 2014. It’s from Rue Des Roues – the heat of Provence and the din of the ever present cicadas, like constant car alarms hidden in the trees. In France the cicada is called cigale and so is the local beer. Cicadas are difficult to see but after a few glasses of Bière des Cigales they’re easily spotted. Continue reading “Cicada”

100 Movies, 100 Quotes, 100 Numbers

I’d intended to post this video by Alonzo Mosley last November to celebrate two years of Frames Of Reference, but I forgot! It’s in the same spirit as the earlier Frames Of Reference video posted to mark our first birthday, and according to Peter Bradshaw it’s why the internet was invented! But nevermind, now we can use it as a New Year countdown. It runs for 9 minutes and 30 seconds so don’t start until 23:50:30. Happy New Year!

King’s Cross Xmas Tree

The King’s Cross Laser Christmas Tree is the first of its kind, designed to bring two joyous celebrations together – Rave and Christmas. The tree itself is created by high powered lasers shooting across Regent’s Canal from the King’s Cross Filling Station onto the Midlands Good Shed opposite, drawing a simple Christmas tree. On the hour the tree goes into Rave Mode, best viewed from KXFS where it is accompanied by a random rave track, in this instance Anthem by N-Joi. Read more here.

Mavis, Susan & Derek

Probably one of the best gigs of the year for me was the Tedeschi Trucks Bands at the Royal Albert Hall. I’ve known Derek Trucks’s music for the past ten years; he ranges from John Coltrane, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to Bob Dylan, Delaney & Bonnie and Curtis Mayfield. But recently his band has joined forces with his wife’s, Susan Tedeschi’s band and so it was this mighty eleven piece that we saw back in October. Continue reading “Mavis, Susan & Derek”