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Media Arts Preview: Flashlight Art, Underwater Music & More

By Holly Willis
September 1, 2011
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PiKAPiKA
PiKAPiKA

LA media this week includes flashlight art, music produced underwater, and screenings of Thom Andersen's brilliant ode to Los Angeles.

Thursday, September 1
PiKA PiKAis animation made with light, often using flashlights. Celebrated Japanese artists Kazue Monno and Takeshi Nagata, also known as Tochka, will show some of their light-based animations and discuss their work tonight at 7:00 p.m. at USC's School of Cinematic Arts. In addition, the SCA gallery will host a show of the artists' work through September 8.

Australian
Australian

Friday, September 2
Fil Rüting brings a new, two-channel video installation titled Australian to the downtown gallery WPA, with an opening reception on Friday, September 2, 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Rüting tends to explore themes of gender, transgression and the modern condition, and the exhibition invitation notes that "Rüting uses cinematic sources, wrenching them from their linear format, cutting and shifting time, recomposing imagery in colorful ghost-like forms and figures moving through a stationary camera space." The show ends October 2, 2011.

Machine Project
Machine Project

Saturday, September 3
Join Machine Project for Aquacoustica, today at 2:00 and 5:00 p.m., and tomorrow, at the same times. Aquacoustica is a collaborative underwater music performance linking a musician in scuba gear underwater with a signal processing partner, who sits on the edge of the pool with some hydrophones. You must RSVP to attend, as space is limited.

Sunday, September 4
Thom Andersen will present his acclaimed film Los Angeles Plays Itself tonight at the Aero Theaterin Santa Monica at 7:30 p.m. In the wonderful film, Andersen ponders our city's history, musing on architecture, geography and storytelling obsessions, and occasionally ranting about particular irritants - the lack of geographic continuity in most Hollywood car chases, for example. Andersen's knowledge of both the city and the history of cinema is tremendous, and listening to his essay as voice-over is like hanging out with a brilliant but slightly cranky family member who's letting you in on a rarified part of your own history. The film also screens at the same time on Saturday night, September 3.

trip to the moon
trip to the moon

Tuesday, September 6
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents the historic silent film A Trip to the Moon by Georges Méliès in its original, hand-colored state after its color restoration at Technicolor Los Angeles. The film will screen with several other newly restored gems from the early history of cinema, and Tom Burton, who oversaw the color restoration of Trip to the Moon, will present the film, which now also boasts a soundtrack by the French band Air.

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