03 · 29 · 15

Online Archive of Experimental Film and Video

Ma. Cristina Alemán, editora en jefe (@mcristina)

The term ‘experimental film’ or ‘experimental video’ is difficult to define, but the work itself is more or less easy to recognize: they are audiovisual works that push the limits of the medium, rejecting the conventions of commercial cinema, and even distancing themselves from the ‘art’ cinema (another complicated term) of festivals and cine-clubs.

These works are normally only available to watch in museums or art galleries, in a dark room behind a heavy curtain, but now the internet has become an alternative medium of distribution - one that also rejects traditional market logic and is therefore perfect for the distribution of experimental film and video. The problem is that, unlike a museum, the internet isn’t a curated space. Faced with the immense quantity of content that is available, the real question is: where to start?

A good place to begin is UbuWeb, a free platform founded in 1996 with the aim of housing an accessible collection of visual poetry. Almost two decades later, the site continues to function as a distribution centre for difficult-to-find material, with digital transfers of discontinued or little-known works. The project’s philosophy is explained in its manifesto: they work with very few funds (with the help of volunteers), do not advertise or accept advertising, and are not affiliated with any academic or government institution, making UbuWeb completely independent.

According to their own definition, UbuWeb is a storage space for the avant-garde. Here you can find text (from the diaries of John Lennon, to street poetry), audio (including ethnopoetry and radio plays by Samuel Beckett) as well as more than 2,500 videos. Below we include five suggestions for anyone interested in experimental cinema:

- A Study in Choreography for Camera (1945), by Maya Deren. A dance that could only exist on film, created by the dancer Talley Beatty and pioneer of experimental cinema Maya Deren.

- Three films by Lars von Trier, from the beginning of his career (1970-9)

- Television Delivers People (1973), by Richard Serra. Serra is best known for his sculpture, but this critique of the media as an instrument of social control is radically different from his other work.

- The Text of Light (1974), by Stan Brackage. From one of the most important artists in the world of avant-garde American cinema, this abstract feature film consists mainly of light patterns.

- Lumière and Company (1995), fragment by David Lynch. Part of a collaborative work by 41 directors, this short film was shot with the original camera made by the Lumière brothers.

This links are just a tiny fraction of what is available on UbuWeb. I highly recommend that you set aside some time to browse the site - you’ll almost certainly find something that moves you: www.ubu.com