“Burning Water” is an experimental film by The Anti-Group Conspiracy, a multimedia, uh, group founded by Clock DVA’s Adi Newton. Here’s the artist statement:
Film / Soundtrack “Burning Water, Meontological experiment Developed and directed by Adi Newton, develops new forms of visual expression. In this project which took five years to develop and film,specially constructed-lenses enabled filming through moving and fluid water. Inspired by the use of multiple montage techniques employed by Kenneth Anger. Especially in his inauguration of the pleasure dome. Each image in the film is taken from specific occult areas, symbols and images, and involves up to quintuple exposures of the film i.e. five montage-levels, at the time of construction a modified special computer software was adapted to treat the entire edited film and finally achieved the result. A film which relates directly to the subconscious levels of the mind, a kinetic Rorschach-test, an exploration of the resurgent atavistic and sentient symbolic systems, used by Austin Osmon Spare,
The Absence of architecture enables the mind to form new connections
“Burning Water” is an alchemical and technological enquiry into sub-states of being. A meontological visualisation beyond analytical analysis. ADI NEWTON 1986
(Thanks Julieta Randall)
For more information check out this interview with Newton.
August 2, 2012 at 6:22 pm
I just watch Burning Water and wanted to congradulate the film makers on a strange and yet oddly moving ‘movie’ experience. I liked it better that Denizens (which while not ugly or beautiful, was definitely creepy). I watched and had a weird subconscoius moment… I suddenly remembered (around the 5 minute mark) of an expiramental film I tried to put together when I was…what…seven, eight years old (almost 35-40 some odd years ago)… I’d almost forgot about it. Back then, the best we could scrap up was an old video camera from my mom’s work place. Anyway, the idea was to paint up a huge art board with water color paints and (basically) achieve the myriad of effects you managed to pull together. It was not nearly as eye-popping as this piece, but then we messed around with the tint and color buttons on the old TV (pre-cable mind you) and pressed the pause button, (rewind and fast forward button etc) as we re-recorded onto the VCR. It made for some interesting effects, but nothing like this video… Mind blowing, indeed. I don’t know if it could work as a full-length feature. But, in a Kubrick-2001- Star-Gate type sequence, it could work. Interesting stuff… Half glimpsed reality… and all of that!