Moving Lines

Decided to go on a very impromptu mini-date last night for a 30-minute romantic getaway at the MoMA. We watched their screening on abstract animation featuring musically-oriented experimental shorts created by painting directly onto film strips. My favorites:





Watching these on a tiny computer screen will never do them justice. The Norman McLaren film is particularly subtle and hypnotic in full size. Alas, only Len Lye (who directed the second video) made it to the permanent collection: his projection of "Swinging the Lambeth Walk" is a cheery punctuation amongst the sculptures and paintings surrounding it. I sometimes find modern art a tad dour, and films like these are so refreshing in a museum!