Kuvaputki
Encyclopedia
Kuvaputki is a multi-angle DVD by Embryoroom produced and directed by Edward Quist
and co-produced by Derek Gruen
aka Del Marquis
, with music by Pan Sonic
, the Finnish
experimental electronic music
duo consisting of Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen.
The film is "a hyper-real multi-angle DVD environment. Pan sonic, Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen, are immersed in the imagery of the cathode which seems to live and infect their physicality over the course of three parallel films as they merge with their own extreme sound and into Quist's sinister vision."
"A number of motion graphics were developed that would sync with the live documented sound and performance," "From there, the idea evolved much further to include a kind of purely audio-visual narrative that included characters and suggests [the] inner life [that] goes on in a TV, as living energy. The various stages of the cathode process visually unfold."
Locations for the documentary source footage include Philadelphia, PA, Boston
, MA, New York City
, Helsinki
, Turku
, and Tampere
, Finland
. Shooting commenced in 1999 and ended in 2003. With a long period of editing and motion graphic development in Quist's native Brooklyn
, NY and Beaver County
, Pennsylvania.
The Kuvaputki DVD can fetch as much as £58 (over $100 USD) in the UK, and £55 used even though it was originally priced under £15. Currently, prices have hit more nominal standards.
There also exists a limited edition bundle of the DVD, hand numbered print, and a correspondingly numbered exclusive download offered directly from Embryoroom.
Only 33 exist.
The 2008 DVD version was screened at the Milan Film Festival The only quote from the director was, "Fear Television"
"Edward Quist has managed to create a real jewel of "counter-animation."
The visual experimentation is extreme and magnificent, and hopefully this effort will become a point of reference over the next few months for other, similar publications." -Dagheisha
"This process is really impressive as anyone who watches the DVD will realize. The black and white film unites exceptionally with the sound world of the Finns capturing the spectator. While Kuvaputki is a high quality effort, it would not be an exaggeration for it to be characterized as a real work of art."-Edjs
"The initial idea of producing a documentary on Pan Sonic's live shows culminated in this abstract audiovisual tour de force."-Sonar Festival
"More than a meanly illustrated live show, here is one true multimedia proposition, like a digital update of "In the Shadow of the Sun" by Derek Jarman and with Throbbing Gristle."-Dside
Sonar Electronic Festival described the film as “A beautiful and unique film capturing the very essence of a Pansonic live performance…. which really is quite an achievement”
SxSW Music Festival calls it “An embodiment. Probably the most perfect electronic music film yet”
ICA Film London “Surprisingly watchable. Forty minutes of unswervingly modern, super intense sound & visuals”
is a visual representation of the various functions within the cathode ray process, each of the 13 chapters are named after technical processes. Angle three entitled SET
is the most abstract and minimal. It's thirteen chapters are titled after either mythological figures or the final phases of the cathode ray process.
Edward Quist
Edward Quist is an American director, screenwriter, producer, composer, multidiscipline artist who also works under the name Embryoroom....
and co-produced by Derek Gruen
Del Marquis
Del Marquis is the lead guitarist for the group Scissor Sisters.-Scissor Sisters:He was introduced to the Scissor Sisters in 2001 at the insistence of a friend who, at the time, was dating Jake Shears. He originally dismissed the band when he first saw them perform at The Cock, a New York City gay...
aka Del Marquis
Del Marquis
Del Marquis is the lead guitarist for the group Scissor Sisters.-Scissor Sisters:He was introduced to the Scissor Sisters in 2001 at the insistence of a friend who, at the time, was dating Jake Shears. He originally dismissed the band when he first saw them perform at The Cock, a New York City gay...
, with music by Pan Sonic
Pan sonic
Pan Sonic was a Finnish experimental electronic music duo consisting of Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen.-Music:...
, the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
experimental electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
duo consisting of Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen.
The film is "a hyper-real multi-angle DVD environment. Pan sonic, Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen, are immersed in the imagery of the cathode which seems to live and infect their physicality over the course of three parallel films as they merge with their own extreme sound and into Quist's sinister vision."
"A number of motion graphics were developed that would sync with the live documented sound and performance," "From there, the idea evolved much further to include a kind of purely audio-visual narrative that included characters and suggests [the] inner life [that] goes on in a TV, as living energy. The various stages of the cathode process visually unfold."
Locations for the documentary source footage include Philadelphia, PA, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, MA, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, and Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Shooting commenced in 1999 and ended in 2003. With a long period of editing and motion graphic development in Quist's native Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, NY and Beaver County
Beaver County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 181,412 people, 72,576 households, and 50,512 families residing in the county. The population density was 418 people per square mile . There were 77,765 housing units at an average density of 179 per square mile...
, Pennsylvania.
The Kuvaputki DVD can fetch as much as £58 (over $100 USD) in the UK, and £55 used even though it was originally priced under £15. Currently, prices have hit more nominal standards.
There also exists a limited edition bundle of the DVD, hand numbered print, and a correspondingly numbered exclusive download offered directly from Embryoroom.
Only 33 exist.
Festivals
In 2000, the first version of the film debuted at the Sonar Festival in Barcelona, Spain. Critics likened the black and white 50 minute film to early rock'n roll documentaries. This now unavailable version was subsequently screened at Buenos Aires International Film Festival, and The Avanto Festival FinlandiaThe 2008 DVD version was screened at the Milan Film Festival The only quote from the director was, "Fear Television"
Critical response
"Kuvaputki, by Edward Quist, belongs to a different genre again, so essential and hypnotic that it seems to go back to the origins of filmmaking: the bare, pure graphic representation of the steady beat of music."-The Milan Film Festival"Edward Quist has managed to create a real jewel of "counter-animation."
The visual experimentation is extreme and magnificent, and hopefully this effort will become a point of reference over the next few months for other, similar publications." -Dagheisha
"This process is really impressive as anyone who watches the DVD will realize. The black and white film unites exceptionally with the sound world of the Finns capturing the spectator. While Kuvaputki is a high quality effort, it would not be an exaggeration for it to be characterized as a real work of art."-Edjs
"The initial idea of producing a documentary on Pan Sonic's live shows culminated in this abstract audiovisual tour de force."-Sonar Festival
"More than a meanly illustrated live show, here is one true multimedia proposition, like a digital update of "In the Shadow of the Sun" by Derek Jarman and with Throbbing Gristle."-Dside
Sonar Electronic Festival described the film as “A beautiful and unique film capturing the very essence of a Pansonic live performance…. which really is quite an achievement”
SxSW Music Festival calls it “An embodiment. Probably the most perfect electronic music film yet”
ICA Film London “Surprisingly watchable. Forty minutes of unswervingly modern, super intense sound & visuals”
Format
Format. Each angle has its own title. The running time for each angle is 38 minutes. with a combining running time of 114 minutes.| 1 Kuvaputki | 2 Cathode Ray Tube | 3 SET |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Alku | Thermionic Emission | Vidsync |
| 2 Maa | Electron Gun | Vidsync2 |
| 3 Toisto | Control Grid | Spore |
| 4 Johto 4 | Cruciform | Transverse |
| 5 Valikohta | Anode | Electric Field |
| 6 Askel | Ion Trap | Plasma Horda |
| 7 Kahalaus | The Glass Envelope | Swamp Grinder |
| 8 Kone | Hathor | Electronoid |
| 9 Esikierto | Phosphor Curtain | Neodimium |
| 10 Murskaus | Irradiance | Centercore |
| 11 C.S.G. Sonic | Bleeder Resistor | Embryon |
| 12 Telakoe | Shadow Mask | Raetheor |
| 13 Loppu | Implosion | Control |
Concept
Angle one, Kuvaputki features 13 chapters each with a Finnish title, it is the closest representation of a documentary based concept. Angle two titled Cathode Ray TubeCathode ray tube
The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
is a visual representation of the various functions within the cathode ray process, each of the 13 chapters are named after technical processes. Angle three entitled SET
Set (mythology)
Set was in Ancient Egyptian religion, a god of the desert, storms, and foreigners. In later myths he was also the god of darkness, and chaos...
is the most abstract and minimal. It's thirteen chapters are titled after either mythological figures or the final phases of the cathode ray process.
Cast
| Mika Vainio | Himself |
| Ilpo Väisänen | Himself |
| Nissim Uriel | Raetheor / The Sickman |
| Michael Wargula | J.J. |
| Kristen Calabrese | Swamp Grinder |
| Albert Tsimal | Electronoid |