Jordan Belson
Encyclopedia
Jordan Belson was an American
artist and filmmaker who created nonobjective, often spiritually oriented, abstract film
s spanning six decades.
Belson studied painting at the University of California, Berkeley
. He saw the "Art in Cinema" screenings at the San Francisco Museum of Art
beginning in 1946. The films screened at this series inspired Harry Smith
, Belson and others to produce abstract films. Belson's first abstract film was Transmutation (1947
). Some of his early films were made with his scroll paintings. Belson's work was screened later as part of the "Art in Cinema" series.
He was the recipient of a grant from the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, which later became the Guggenheim
(Oskar Fischinger
recommended him to the MoNOP curator Hilla von Rebay
). Much of his work is meant to evoke a mystical or meditative experience.
In 1957 he began a collaboration with sound artist Henry Jacobs
at the Morrison Planetarium in San Francisco
, California that lasted until 1959. Together they produced a series of electronic music concerts accompanied by visual projections at the Planetarium, the Vortex Concerts. Belson as visual director programmed kinetic live visuals, and Jacobs programmed electronic music and audio experiments. This is a direct ancestor of the 60s light shows and the "Laserium©"-style shows that were popular at planetaria later in the century. The Vortex shows involved projected imagery, specially prepared film excerpts and other optical projections specifically developed for use on the hemispherical screen. Not just an opportunity to develop new visual technologies and techniques, the sound system in the planetarium enabled Belson and Jacobs to create an immersive environment where imagery could move throughout the entire screen space, and sound could move around the perimeter of the room.
Belson also created special effects for The Right Stuff (1983).
His latest film "Epilogue" was commissioned for the Visual Music exhibition at the Hirshhorn/Smithsonian, and completed in 2005. It was produced by Center for Visual Music http://www.centerforvisualmusic.org with support from the NASA Art Program. The New York Times described it as having "lush and misty optics".
Belson's films are managed by Center for Visual Music (CVM) in Los Angeles, where preservation and digitization is ongoing. A special Jordan Belson Retrospective has been presented by CVM at Tate Modern (London), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, EYE Film Institute Netherlands (Amsterdam), Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie (Karlsruhe, Germany), Rotterdam Film Festival, European Media Art Festival (Osnabruck, Germany), Queensland Gallery of Art (Brisbane), MOCA Los Angeles, and other venues.
Belson died of heart failure at his home in San francisco on Sept. 6, 2011. He was 85. CVM and Pacific Film Archive will present a special Memorial screening at PFA, Berkeley, California on October 19, 2011. Belson's films are represented by Center for Visual Music in Los Angeles.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist and filmmaker who created nonobjective, often spiritually oriented, abstract film
Abstract film
Abstract film is a subgenre of experimental film. Its history often overlaps with the concerns and history of visual music. Some of the earliest abstract motion pictures known to survive are those produced by a group of German artists working in the early 1920s, a movement referred to as Absolute...
s spanning six decades.
Biography
Belson was born in Chicago, Illinois.Belson studied painting at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. He saw the "Art in Cinema" screenings at the San Francisco Museum of Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
beginning in 1946. The films screened at this series inspired Harry Smith
Harry Everett Smith
Harry Everett Smith was an American archivist, ethnomusicologist, student of anthropology, record collector, experimental filmmaker, artist, bohemian and mystic...
, Belson and others to produce abstract films. Belson's first abstract film was Transmutation (1947
1947 in film
The year 1947 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York.*November 24 : The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress voted 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten".*November 25...
). Some of his early films were made with his scroll paintings. Belson's work was screened later as part of the "Art in Cinema" series.
He was the recipient of a grant from the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, which later became the Guggenheim
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
(Oskar Fischinger
Oskar Fischinger
Oskar Fischinger was a German-American abstract animator, filmmaker, and painter. He made over 50 short animated films, and painted c. 800 canvases, many of which are in museums, galleries and collections worldwide. Among his film works is Motion Painting No. 1 , which is now listed on the...
recommended him to the MoNOP curator Hilla von Rebay
Hilla von Rebay
Hildegard Anna Augusta Elizabeth Freiin Rebay von Ehrenwiesen, Baroness Hilla von Rebay, or simply Hilla Rebay , was a notable woman abstract painter in the early 20th century. After immigrating to the United States in 1927, she may be best known for helping Solomon R...
). Much of his work is meant to evoke a mystical or meditative experience.
In 1957 he began a collaboration with sound artist Henry Jacobs
Henry Jacobs
Henry Sandy Jacobs is an American sound artist and humorist.Jacobs was born in Chicago, Illinois. After a tour in the Air Corps - during which time he acquired some broadcast experience, and graduation from the University of Chicago, he moved to Mexico City...
at the Morrison Planetarium in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California that lasted until 1959. Together they produced a series of electronic music concerts accompanied by visual projections at the Planetarium, the Vortex Concerts. Belson as visual director programmed kinetic live visuals, and Jacobs programmed electronic music and audio experiments. This is a direct ancestor of the 60s light shows and the "Laserium©"-style shows that were popular at planetaria later in the century. The Vortex shows involved projected imagery, specially prepared film excerpts and other optical projections specifically developed for use on the hemispherical screen. Not just an opportunity to develop new visual technologies and techniques, the sound system in the planetarium enabled Belson and Jacobs to create an immersive environment where imagery could move throughout the entire screen space, and sound could move around the perimeter of the room.
Belson also created special effects for The Right Stuff (1983).
His latest film "Epilogue" was commissioned for the Visual Music exhibition at the Hirshhorn/Smithsonian, and completed in 2005. It was produced by Center for Visual Music http://www.centerforvisualmusic.org with support from the NASA Art Program. The New York Times described it as having "lush and misty optics".
Belson's films are managed by Center for Visual Music (CVM) in Los Angeles, where preservation and digitization is ongoing. A special Jordan Belson Retrospective has been presented by CVM at Tate Modern (London), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, EYE Film Institute Netherlands (Amsterdam), Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie (Karlsruhe, Germany), Rotterdam Film Festival, European Media Art Festival (Osnabruck, Germany), Queensland Gallery of Art (Brisbane), MOCA Los Angeles, and other venues.
Belson died of heart failure at his home in San francisco on Sept. 6, 2011. He was 85. CVM and Pacific Film Archive will present a special Memorial screening at PFA, Berkeley, California on October 19, 2011. Belson's films are represented by Center for Visual Music in Los Angeles.
Filmography
- Transmutation (1947) - lost
- Improvisation #1 (1948) - lost
- Mambo (1951)
- Caravan (1952)
- Bop-Scotch (1952)
- Mandala (1953)
- Raga (1958)
- Séance (1959)
- Allures (1961)
- LSD (1962) Unfinished film. According to Belson it should not be on his filmography
- Re-entry (1964)
- Phenomena (1965)
- Samadhi (1967)
- Momentum (1968)
- Cosmos (1969)
- World (1970)
- Meditation (1971)
- Chakra (1972)
- Light (1973)
- Cycles (1975) made with Stephen Beck
- Music of the Spheres (1977)
- Infinity (1980)
- Quartet (1982)
- Fountain of Dreams (1984)
- Northern Lights (1985)
- Mysterious Journey (1997)
- Bardo (2001)
- Epilogue (2005)
Secondary source
- Brougher, Strick, et al. Visual Music: Synaesthesia in Art and Music Since 1900 (New York: Thames & Hudson, 2005) contains little info not found elsewhere, but some good images
- Keefer, Cindy. Space Light Art: Early Abstract Cinema and Multimedia, 1900-1959. White Noise. Ernest Edmonds, Ed. (Melbourne: Australian Centre for the Moving Image, 2005). Revised version is online at CVM Library.