AN EVENING OF FILM, VIDEO AND SOUND
WITH TONY CONRAD
March 19, 2006
Eyedrum, Atlanta, GA
Over the course of two hours at Eyedrum, Tony Conrad presented
film and video work from throughout his forty-year career, and gave a
forty-minute solo violin performance, underpinned by a powerful drone and
accented by Conrad's intensely physical gestures. During this performance, a
floor-to-ceiling scrim, blown by an electric fan, stood between the performer
and audience. Tony performed in front of a bright light and his giant shadow was
projected onto the scrim, rippled by the fan.
The evening began with several recent, comic video pieces in which Tony
performs: "Grading Tips for Teachers," "Hello Happiness" and "Tony's Oscular
Pets."
After the solo violin performance, Tony showed two early, groundbreaking films,
"The Flicker" (1965), with the stereo cassette version of the soundtrack, and
"Straight and Narrow" (1970), with soundtrack by John Cale and Terry Riley. Both
films were shown in 16mm.
The evening ended with a vintage Conrad performance video, the hilariously
aggressive "In Line."
The evening was presented jointly by Tight Bros Network, Table of the Elements,
and Frequent Small Meals.