This collection of short animated films spans 50 years of Len Lye’s experimental filmmaking. All but ‘Rhythm’ (1957) use ‘direct film’ techniques dispensing with the camera to paint and scratch directly onto the film surface. Lye’s abstract films influenced and led the way for experimental filmmaking and filmmakers such as Norman McLaren and Stan Brakhage amongst many others. He incorporated musical soundtracks of mostly tribal and percussive themes that reflected his interest in rhythm and movement as in ‘Free radicals’ (1958) and ‘Particles in Space’(1979) as well as jazz and blues soundtracks (the music of Tal Farlow and Sonny Terry were also used).
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
316652
Language
English
Audience classification
G
Subject categories
Animation → Animated films - New Zealand
Crafts & Visual Arts → Art - New Zealand
Crafts & Visual Arts → Art and music
Crafts & Visual Arts → Art, Modern
Crafts & Visual Arts → Art, Modern - 20th century
Crafts & Visual Arts → Modernism (Art)
Crafts & Visual Arts → Sculpture - New Zealand
Crafts & Visual Arts → Sculpture, Modern
Mathematics, Science & Technology → Optics
Mathematics, Science & Technology → Space and time
Music & Performing Arts → Art and music
Music & Performing Arts → Music - Africa
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Black and White and Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)