An experiment with archived video recording.
How do you access archival footage? Why do you? What does it bring? Do you watch it alone in a library? On your desktop/ smartphone/tablet – in vimeo or youtube? Do you integrate it into your present? How? What’s it for?
With Lois Weaver and Peggy Shaw we conceived an evening at VET under Joan’s invitation, to view archival footage of Split Britches’ Anniversary Waltz’, performed at The Drill Hall, London 1990.
Joan shot the film on U-Matic tape – a camera linked to a deck, if you can imagine/ remember that. As tape is deteriorating daily it was finally digitized in 2009 and 3 of 4 tapes were good.
This was no silent screening ! Using Lois’ ‘Porch Sitting’ technique the invited audience sat in 3 rows, and were encouraged to comment, ask questions , and react during the screening. It was particularly engaging to view an archive with the people who are in the archive commenting on what was happening and answering call outs as they came. There is more work to do on thinking about performing the archive and we will be developing that in the next months.
A very stimulating night with Split Britches, Bloolips, Sh!t Theatre and friends.
Here’s a link to Anniversary Waltz recorded at La Mama, New York