[Frameworks] field-level processing in video

Wed Aug 13 18:22:28 CDT 2025

Hi all,

I just looked up when we tried to screen it at Los Angeles Filmforum.  It was Sunday, March 13, 2005.  The program was Crystal Palace (2002), The Astronomer's Dream (2004), and Precarious Garden (2004).  I made a note that Crystal Palace was cancelled due to projection shortcomings.

It was at the Spielberg Theater at the Egyptian, a room that no longer exists.  It had a progressive projector (not a CRT) but he needed it to be interlaced to work.

Best regards,

Adam

-----

Adam Hyman 

Executive Director

Los Angeles Filmforum

From: Frameworks <frameworks-bounces at film-gallery.org> on behalf of Steve Polta <steve.polta at gmail.com>
Reply-To: Experimental Film Discussion List <frameworks at film-gallery.org>
Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2025 at 2:07 PM
To: Experimental Film Discussion List <frameworks at film-gallery.org>
Subject: Re: [Frameworks] field-level processing in video

Dear Jared,

I'm pretty sure that I was at the same screening of Crystal Palace that Mark Toscano references which, if I'm not mistaken, was at Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley CA on October 7, 2003. At this screening the work was shown as projected video and was definitely not on a CRT. Ernie Gehr was there in person and, if I recall correctly, was frustrated that they could not get the projection system to reproduce what he'd seen in his piece. This sort of thing—artists being unable to replicate effects they'd worked with on one video system on another—were not uncommon in these "early days" of projected digital video. If Gehr has another piece that attempted this, I don't know what it is. 

Steve Polta

On Wed, Aug 13, 2025 at 11:16 AM jared ashburn <ashburn.jared at gmail.com> wrote:

Mark, Adam, Michael, and Robert,

I saw "Crystal Palace" at some point, but couldn't remember the title. It was that one that provoked my question, so thank you for reminding me. I'm seeing it described as "An ode to digital interlace, which is to video what intervals between frames are to film…". Do you happen to remember if it was displayed on a CRT? I'm trying to figure out the title of the other one you mentioned, and I do wonder if (and how) he managed to resolve the transfer to a progressive format. I stumbled upon the same kind of field flicker in FCP at about the same time he made "Crystal Palace" and was only able to capture the output through rescan. I think a VTR (analog without an internal TBC, maybe?) and a display that doesn't deinterlace by default might work to preserve the field flicker, but I'm not certain. I also don't know if that could then be transferred to a digital format (tape or file) without it being deinterlaced at some point. Even if it were, as Adam points out, most all digital projectors (and LCDs) would deinterlace and apply frame interpolation, which would kill the flicker. To Robert's point, perhaps field-based effects are best left to the analog domain. Still, even there, it required a special instrument (Rutt/Etra or the Vasulkas Digital Image Articulator —a hybrid device). Michael, I am unfamiliar with Yalkut's work that you mentioned. I'd be interested to know, and VERY curious to know what instruments he used. Thank you all for your input. I appreciate it. -Jared

On Sun, Aug 10, 2025 at 2:45 PM Robert Harris <lagonaboba at gmail.com> wrote:

The person who most formally, thoroughly, and passionately immersed themself in the video field, in the formative instant of image generation, was video maker/filmmaker Al Robbins, working with portapak, reel to reel video in 1973 and after.
Given the fragile, uncopyable nature of his tapes, and given the generally galleryizing world of video in the mid 70’s, Al’s work was tragically under appreciated. 
Rather than look to filmmakers who had no interest in analog video, you should pursue your Vasulka thread, and look to the individuals associated with the Experimental Television Center in Owego, NY. Founder Ralph Hocking is deceased, his wife and collaborator Sherry Hocking Miller is still around. Seek out Peer Bode, Hank Rudolph, David Jones, Neil Zussman. 
But for the original artist with absolute investment in the glitch and all its implications, Al Robbins.

Robert Harris, Professor
Fitchburg State University

> On Aug 9, 2025, at 12:13 AM, jared ashburn <ashburn.jared at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Does anyone know if Ken Jacobs, Ernie Gehr, or any other artists besides Woody and Steina Vasulka have worked at the level of the video field? I’m particularly interested in practices that manipulate fields (1/60 second in NTSC), whether for timing-based image alteration or for preserving field-specific flicker phenomena. Thanks!
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