Welcome to The Only Constant - Video Collective Blog / Discussion Board

Hello all and welcome to The Only Constant video collective blog. We are The Only Constant, a collective of emerging video and filmmakers based in London. Our ethos is to challenge visual taboos and create forward thinking moving images. Our aim? To rant, rave and INSPIRE.

If you would like to get involved in the discussions on our blog, get involved in our collective or submit work for our Video Is The Only Constant screening and open discussion evenings at Corsica Studios please contact us on: theonlyconstant@ymail.com


Monday 22 February 2010

Video Is The Only Constant March 3rd 2010: Matthias David Huser


Dogs, UK, 30'00

A car dealer who believes he is a cowboy. A man in a suit who has been looking for his dog for years. Two illusions and one band. - A roadmovie.

Matthias David Huser (born January 1979 in Zurich, Switzerland) trained as a photographer and non-professional basketball player. From 2001 until 2005 he studied at the University of Arts and Design Zurich Switzerland and University of New South Wales/CoFA, Sydney Australia in the departments film and time based art. Lives and works in Zurich and London as a director/writer and first assistant director.

Video Is The Only Constant March 3rd 2010: David Terranova and James Mountford


Afterlife (a requiem), 2009, UK, 3'40

A view of life, death and the afterlife, with Nick Cave's son Jethro and his girlfriend Sophie Willing each performing on two separate sets at the same time, using a projector to blend the two sets into one. An experimentation of light and shadows. Wonderland magazine approached James to make this piece for them. With a basic idea of shooting a model with projected images James asked David to bring his video skills into the mix, and working on the idea together lead them to the concept of using two characters, one of which being projected onto the other in real time.

James Mountford - “British born, I started taking photos while living in Italy. Since returning to London I have shot for a range of magazines including Dazed and Confused, Dansk, Wonderland, Elle, Tank, i-D.”

http://www.jamesmountford.com
http://iheartkrackney.blogspot.com

David Terranova - Born in Rome to an Italian father and English mother. After moving to London at the age of 16 I became a Flash Developer working at various advertising agencies around London building websites and games for large gaming and film brands. Three years ago I started a web-video series called RebelRave.tv, an artistic reportage view of the parties and music of an underground international record label. This lead me into making more video promos for other musicians and lately for fashion related content, often experimenting with the relationship between sound and vision.

http://blog.davidterranova.com

Video Is The Only Constant March 3rd 2010: Ulf Kristiansen


The Tiger and the Lamb, 2009, Norway, 2'30

Based on 2 poems by William Blake, animation by Ulf Kristiansen.

Blake is building on the conventional idea that nature, like a work of art, must in some way contain a reflection of its creator. The tiger is strikingly beautiful yet also horrific in its capacity for violence. What kind of a God, then, could or would design such a terrifying beast as the tiger? In more general terms, what does the undeniable existence of evil and violence in the world tell us about the nature of God, and what does it mean to live in a world where a being can at once contain both beauty and horror? The open awe of "The Tyger" contrasts with the easy confidence, in "The Lamb," of a child's innocent faith in a benevolent universe. By letting the tiger recite "the Lamb" , the tiger appears somewhat mephistotelian even though the lamb is not letting herself be seduced. The tiger is also less than impressed by the lamb?s poetry reading and seems to be planning his next meal.

Ulf Kristiansen (b. 1969-11-03, Norway) is a painter and video-artist. Ulf Kristiansen is currently living at Nesodden, a peninsula outside of Oslo, Norway. While starting out as a figurative painter, Ulf is now mainly focusing on 3d animation and machinima. His films have partaken in numerous international video festivals and exhibitions.

http://www.ulfkristiansen.com

Video Is The Only Constant March 3rd 2010: Barry Gene Murphy and Shaun O Connor


Disembodied #1, UK, 1'31

An exploration of human form using structured light 3D scanning techniques.

Barry Gene Murphy is a moving image artist, who works across the spectrum of visual media. From directing music videos to creating gallery based experimental work to live performance visuals, Murphy's work explores filmmaking techniques and touches on subjects such as landscape, micro macro worlds, complexities of experience, Musique concréte and Psychogeography. Murphy's short films have shown in major international film festivals.

http://www.barrygenemurphy.com

Shaun O Connor aka PRICKIMAGE's irreverent work is full of fantasy, humor and intrigue. Working as a full time VJ and video artist at many of London's underground & major club night's and art spaces with a residency at FABRIC with WYS, monthly performances at the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art) with G*Y BINGO and Video Consultant/Contributor for GLASS MAGAZINE blog. Invited to perform at 6 established festivals in 2009 including Glastonbury, Latitude, BLOC Weekend & Big Chill, utilizing quirky video/photography techniques, audio generative video and animation, each unique production telling an oblique story.

http://www.prickimage.com

Video Is The Only Constant March 3rd 2010: Daemiane


Flight, 2009, UK, 2'12

‘Flight' is about hope and self expression during dark days.

Daemiane is an experimental video/performance artist based in the UK. Working with video visuals and live performance, Daemiane’s vision is darkly cinematic and often beautifully melancholic.

http://www.daemiane.com
http://www.youtube.com/daemiane

Video Is The Only Constant March 3rd 2010: Sharlene Bamboat


57 Ways, 2009, Canada, 5'00

This short film is about a girl who is obsessed with her vaginal odour. She tries different common methods of getting rid of her odour to no avail. In the end she decides to take drastic measures.

Sharlene Bamboat is a film and video artist, who has recently graduated from York University in Toronto with a Masters degree in Cinema and Media Studies. She creates work exploring themes of diaspora, queerness and the body. Sharlene currently lives and works in the UK

http://www.sharlenebamboat.com

Video Is The Only Constant March 3rd 2010: Paul Burt


Loops, UK, 2'14

A short experimental animation that explores the relationship between sound and moving image.

http://paburt.com

Video Is The Only Constant March 3rd 2010: Marcus Orlandi


Never Better, UK, live performance

A lonely chair, a broom on the floor and a white cloth folded twice neatly on the back of the chair. A man is forced inside for no reason but his own. Time places him within two scenarios both of which he’d rather give up on. “The outside is dead and coming closer” he retorts and tells us of the mindset that got him there.

Inspired by the words of Samuel Beckett and Stephen Sondheim, Never Better is a “Live Radio Play” - an invitation for audiences to piece together a time-lapse story and be unsettled by the constant stress of strict timing and opportunity for mistake.

Marcus Orlandi has performed in London and Liverpool, specialising in script based new media productions working with choreography, film and sound.

Video Is The Only Constant March 3rd 2010: Laura Bridges and Lauren Willis


Documentary (Repeat), 2010, UK, live performance

In this video installation a performer holds a black box TV playing footage of the last time the work was performed. The performer holds the TV for up to 30minutes, and the only rule is that they cannot put the TV down. For longer periods of time, the work sees the performer squirm, struggle and shift to keep the TV from being put down. In a shorter time, innovative ways of holding the set are explored to suit the setting. The performance will be filmed so that this footage can be played on the screen at the next showing of the work. Conceptually this work marks a big shift in the way that we have been working collaboratively, as our practice has in the past remained ephemeral. To film the performances and then to use this as the core aspect of the work at its next performance allows a more intricate and layered way to use documentation than the simple YouTube/website route.


Laura Bridges and Lauren Willis are collaborators working across a variety of media and disciplines aiming to explore the authority of the artist/creator within collaborative practice. Laura studied Contemporary Dance at Leeds University and has recently completed her Masters in Choreography at Middlesex University. Lauren studied Fine Art at Central

http://www.lauraandlauren.co.uk

Video Is The Only Constant March 3rd 2010: John Bradburn


Distance, 2010, UK, video installation
/ Limits, 2010, UK, video installation

John Bradburn is a lecturer in Film Technology at Staffordshire University as well as a journalist for Vertigo Magazine on experimental cinema. His first feature Kyle (2007) was shown at the Seattle International Film Festival, West County Los Angeles Film Festival and Flatpack film festivals. In 2008 he co-directed The Gloaming a UKFC digital short with Andy Paton. He is interested in the power of the image to communicate in non rational, subliminal and dreamlike forms. He firmly believes that cinema/video is the only art form that exists inside our consciousness as every night we dream we represent our lives to ourselves as film/video.

Video Is The Only Constant March 3rd 2010: Amy Brooks


With CD Ride you are the star, hijacked!, 2009, UK, loop

A theme park ride is displaced by two masked, stocking-balaclava-bandits! The Ride is literally and abstractly hijacked; stolen and reclaimed illustratively as well as conceptually. A jarring occurrence is captured, caused by disrupting the absurd excepted norm of theme park rides with a subversive act of interception. The footage parodies the hyper real of the everyday and in doing so begins to unravel the bigger facade; Hanging on the idea that theme parks are more real than 'reality' itself, as they do not claim to be any more than a lie.

A further hijacking, occurs within the technical production of this art work. Whereby the novelty/ souvenir footage, which automatically records the ride day-in-day-out, has captured this performative stir. The 'ready-made' evidence has been appropriated, hacked, re-hashed, and put into slow-mo. These consciously DIY inflictions footprint extra perversions onto the kitsch novelty home movie. This not only further enforces the feeling of uncanny and unlocks themes of hyper-reality, but also blurs the line of artistic authorship and craft. Thus becoming part of the 'internet-video' soup, situating the film inside and outside of the world it seeks to 'un-mask!'"


Amy Brooks - “Using varied methods of realisation and superficial ‘surfaces’ my practice hints at a life of lies, banality, poetry and hyper-reality. Rules, boundaries and philosophy thrown up by existing conventions govern my practice. I recontextualise and reorder kitsch social artifacts in order to reveal poetic truisms about our times."

Video Is The Only Constant March 3rd 2010: Maria Anastassiou


Fail again! fail better, UK, 2’30


The title is taken from a famous Beckett quote. A series of investigations into objects and actions that have a clear indication of a goal to be completed and the visible effort to achieve that goal.


Maria Anastassiou was born in Cyprus in 1982. She lives and works in London. She works with time–based media and is currently studying for an MA in communications art&design at the Royal College of Art.

Saturday 20 February 2010

VIDEO IS THE ONLY CONSTANT @ CORSICA STUDIOS - March 3rd

The line up and flyer for the next VOC night at Corsica Studios on March 3rd is now online. Feel free to download/print/distribute it. A higher quality copy can be found via the link below.

High Quality Copy of Flyer

Friday 12 February 2010

Brainwash Film Night

Another event to show your work at that might be appealing...

http://www.facebook.com/brainwashlondon

Wednesday 10 February 2010

Monday 8 February 2010

Simon Panrucker

Enough fine art pretense. Natural film-making talent here combined with humor, original stories, experimentation, and a host of other unexpected talents thrown in that make you remember the fun side of the medium. Below is his latest film but be sure to check out his Vimeo account for more.

Sunday 7 February 2010

Pen-Ek Ratanaruang

Everything I've seen by this director is golden. Specifically the films:
Last Life in the Universe
Ploy