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Makino Takashi: Entering a Noisy Cosmos

Makino Takashi: Entering a Noisy Cosmos

Generator, by Makino Takashi

Makino Takashi in person from Japan! 

Among Japan’s most prolific and adventurous filmmakers, Takashi Makino is known for hallucinatory, non-linear films that harness techniques from the twin media of film and video, treating both image and sound with equal importance. “Makino Takashi’s immersive live media experiences are a transcendence into ‘physical unconsciousness.’ Hallucinatory and experiential, Takashi creates abstract cinematic worlds immersing the viewer like a grain of emulsion free falling in the corporeality of image forming materials” (Unconscious Archives, London). Often described as being at the forefront of Japanese experimental filmmaking, Takashi himself generally shies from the term “experimental.” Rather, his influences include the multiple exposure techniques of 1920s French Surrealist films and a near-death experience at the age of five during which he envisioned “a place filled with lights more brilliant than any image I had ever seen.” Takashi’s work evolves as he attempts to find the ideal film, “an unshaped, organic, lump-like film that links with the consciousness and mental state of the viewers…and never ceases to change.”

He presents Space Noise 3D, an immersive live cinema work for 16mm and video projectors, live soundtrack, and 3D glasses, giving a physical presence to the images beyond the screen. The work is preceded by three short films, two featuring the music of Jim O’Rourke.  Cinema and live performance that will fill your senses. 

Total 96 minutes + intermission.

Tickets: $10 general admission; $6 students (with ID)/seniors; free for Filmforum members.

Tickets available in advance at http://bpt.me/882431

For more event information: www.lafilmforum.org, or 323-377-7238

Thank you to The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, for their support to make this screening possible.  Special Thanks to Mia Ferm, Cinema Project, Portland OR; Steve Polta, San Francisco Cinematheque; and Steve Anker, Cal Arts.

Makino Takashi is an experimental filmmaker who lives and works in Tokyo. He creates and exhibits films that make full use of all film and video techniques, treating the image and the music as elements of equal importance. In 2001, after graduating from the Cinema Department of Nihon University College of Art, Makino moved to London to study music and lighting design at the atelier of the Brothers Quay. Makino continued to make films after returning to Japan and has held solo screenings regularly since 2004. He met Jim O’Rourke in 2005, which accelerated his filmmaking pace. His film, No is E won the Terayama Shuji Prize at the Image Forum Festival 2007. Makino was prominently featured at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2008, where Elements of Nothing was nominated for the Tiger Award. Since then his films have been invited for screenings at more than 30 international film festivals and video art festivals. In 2009, still in cosmos won the Grand-Prix at the 25FPS International Experimental Film & Video Festival 2009.

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This program is supported by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission; the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles; and the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. Additional support generously provided by American Cinematheque. We also depend on our members, ticket buyers, and individual donors.

Coming Soon to Los Angeles Filmforum:

Oct 25 – The Chelsea Girls, by Warhol, at REDCAT

Oct 26 – Songs from the Nickel

Nov 2 – Melika Bass

still in cosmos 7

still in cosmos

still in cosmos

(2009, HD digital from 17min.) Los Angeles premiere!

Music by Jim O'Rourke and Chris Corsano and Darin Gray

A product purposed of an installation project held at Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography. Recomposed as completed film work in 2009.
It originally was theme for "Complete Chaos" visualized by double exposure method, however it appeared entire opposite phenomenon as "Birth of Cosmos", and that is unparalleled miraculous story behind the film.  This film visually demonstrates the fact that human has ability to change Chaos to Cosmos.  A transcend Free Jazz sound is presented by band Osorezan commanded of Jim O'Rourke.  Now images and sound break the wall of the universe and plunge in the new world.

generator still 1

Generator

Generator

(2011, digital, from 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, 19 min.) Los Angeles Premiere!

Music by Jim O'Rourke

Trailer for Generator

The images reach realms beyond our comprehension as they transform and invite us into our own personal memories.

Filled with uncertain yet overwhelmingly reminiscent images, the film opens up before our eyes.

When the unfixed transformations of light eventually shift into aerial shots, images capable of mutual recognition, we are able to transcend ‘the body’ and ‘personal recollection’ into inter-personal memories that reach back into our ancestral imagination.  We may be able to feel as living beings a part of our star for the first time if we recognize our ‘body’ as a small universe, realize our city as an enormous living body and ourselves as merely one cell. – Makino Takashi

2012 10

2012

2012

2012(2013, HD digital, from 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, 30min.) Los Angeles premiere!

Music by Makino Takashi 

“Everything what I saw in 2012.”

This film [2012] was the live performance project during the year 2012.  When I screen this film, I always changed images and played different music by myself.  The aim of this film was to make a film that we can see only once.  And the reason why I played live music for the film was that I wanted to include physical feeling into the cinema expression.  I screened 2012 7 times in Japan and U, and finally I fixed the image and sound in December of 2012.  After making this film, I found this film can make 3D illusion by using the Pulfrich Effect.  If we use this effect, we can make our own dimension in our mind.  Audience can decide their own illusion.  It means this film is in completely opposite side of propaganda.  I expect 2012 can make free and new cosmos in each audience’s mind. – Makino Takashi

Performance video of 2012

SpaceNoise

Space Noise

Performance [Space Noise 3D]

(2014, 30 min.) Los Angeles premiere!

A previous performance of Space Noise

But every performance is different!