INDEX #014: Sonic Fiction - Synaesthetic Videos from Austria

A DVD release celebrating the extraordinary young video and electronic music scene in Austria. These are radical avant-garde works that emerge logically from modern electronic music. The images sometimes tie in with the earliest pure abstract avant-garde films, but reveal themselves in everything to be exponents of contemporary digital technology.

Included Work:
LIA, HARDVIDEO/G.S.I.L. XIX SOUND: @C 2003, 5 MIN
NIK THOENEN, TIMO NOVOTNY, NEON SOUND: WOLFGANG SCHLOEGL 2003, 5 MIN
MICHAELA GRILL, MARTIN SIEWERT, TRANS SOUND: MARTIN SIEWERT 2004, 9 MIN
THOMAS AIGELSREITER, KEY WEST SOUND: RUDI AIGELSREITER 2002, 5 MIN
DIDI BRUCKMAYR, MICHAEL STROHMANN, ICH BIN TRAURIG SOUND: FUCKHEAD 2004, 5 MIN
KARØ GOLDT, FALCON SOUND: RASHIM 2003, 5 MIN
BILLY ROISZ, BLINQ SOUND: BURKHARD STANGL / AKOASMA / BORIS HAUF / SACHIKO M. / MARTIN SIEWERT / CHRISTOF KURZMANN / T. NAKAMURA / DIEB13 / WERNER DAFELDECKER / EL 2002, 7 MIN
M.ASH, CUBICA SOUND: CHRIS JANKA 2002, 4 MIN
[N:JA], FRAME SOUND: RADIAN 2002, 5 MIN
SIEGFRIED A. FRUHAUF, SUN SOUND: ATTWENGER 2003, 5:30 MIN
REMI, ZIJKFIJERGIJOK SOUND: REMI 2003, 3 MIN
MICHAELA SCHWENTNER, JET SOUND: RADIAN 2003, 6 MIN
12 BONUSTRACKS

Ever since the beginning of film there has been an interest in abstract filmmaking, some sort of search for an abstract film language that discards our traditional icon-based images. From the Dada movement of the ‘20s via the sound-visual experiments of someone like Mary Ellen Bute in the ‘40s, up to our current age: there has always been an interest from avant-garde filmmakers in the close relation between sound and (abstract) images. This search has most recently taken the form of the short video films (made by artists from all over the world), in which the artists (often) combine modern electronic music with abstract images which bear no direct connection with a naturalistic world, but instead revel in modern technology.

The selection of videos on this DVD is a selection of work from several of Austria’s most promising young video artists. All these works have a electronic soundtrack working in close collaboration with the images. While there are some obvious influences of earlier abstract filmmaking, these works clearly stem from our digital age with its ever evolving technology. These are the kind of works you normally only see at film festivals, without a chance of revisiting the films. But here lies your chance to watch these kind of films over and over again.

This is yet another winner from Austrian-based Index DVD, an indispensable source for cutting-edge, European avant-garde. The films included on this release offer a great selection of the latest developments in modern video art. The appeal of these very abstract works obviously depends completely on one’s interest in this kind of filmmaking, but for those interested this is one hell of a ride. There are liner notes included, but these aren’t really necessary, because either you love these films or you don’t, but on the other hand, the liner notes cannot hurt either. You have to look deep inside your wallet for this DVD, but we highly recommend this release!

Sonic Fiction

Thomas Aigelsreiter (KEY WEST)
Sound: Rudi Aigelsreiter
*1972 in Vienna, Master Class for Graphic-Design at the HGBLVA, Vienna. Since 1990 he works under the name of AUGE illustrator, cartoonist and producer of animation films - also for the internet (Flash movies).
Videos (Selection):
Sophia´s Sofa, 2001
Bomb!, 2002
Key West, 2002
Haiku Who?, 2003
established, 2003
Masse(s), 2004
www.auge-animated.com

Didi Bruckmayr (ICH BIN TRAURIG)
Sound: Fuckhead
*5.4.1966; lives in Linz, Austria. Doctor of economy. Since 1985 singer, actor, video-maker and performance-artist.
International acitivities with the notorious multimedia-performance-group Fuckhead.
Digital arts since 1999. Specialises in 3d environments and realtime video processing. Work on audio- interactive interfaces for solo performances.
www.fuckhead.at/didi/

Siegfried A. Fruhauf (SUN)
Sound: Attwenger
*1976 in Grieskirchen, Austria. Since 1993 experiments with video and film. Since 1995 studies at the University for Design in Linz. Various works and shows in the area of video and film.
2002 Supportive Award for Filmart.
Films/Videos (Selection): La Sortie, 1998
Höhenrausch, 1999
Blow-Up, 2000
Exposed, 2001
REALTIME, 2002
SUN, 2003
Structural Filmwaste. Dissolution1, 2003
sed, 2001
REALTIME, 2002
SUN, 2003
Structural Filmwaste. Dissolution1, 2003

Karø Goldt (FALCON)
Sound: Rashim
*1967 in Günzburg. 1998 Diploma at the School for artistic photography Vienna. Various exhibitions for photography, photofilm and objects in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Barcelona a.o. since 1995.
Participation at international festivals since 2001.
Lives in Berlin and Vienna
Videos (Selection):
ILOX, 2000
LILIUM, 2001
mir mig men, 2002
falcon, 2003
LOST, 2004
solo mit chor, 2004
SUBROSA, 2004
www.alles-goldt.de

Michaela Grill (TRANS)
Sound: Martin Siewert
*1971; has studied in Vienna, Glasgow and London. Various film/video works, sound installations and live visuals since 1998;
various performances in Austria and abroad. Lives and works in Vienna.
Videos (Selection):
o.T. / takeshi fumimoto, 1999
kingkong / dj pure, 2000
My Kingdom for a Lullaby # 4 (w/Billy Roisz) /
Kurzmann, Nakamura, Siewert, 2002
trans / Siewert, 2003
My Kingdom for a Lullaby # 2 (w/Billy Roisz) /
Kurzmann, Nakamura, Siewert, 2004
KILVO / Radian, 2004
lullaby.klingt.org

Lia (HARDVIDEO/G.S.I.L. XIX)
Sound:@c
Graphikprogrammer. Born to start working on computers in 1995
Works in Progress: G.S.I.L. (real-time graphics) together with @c
Videos (Selection):
G.S.I.L.VI/almada, 2001
G.S.I.L.XII/+, 2002
hardVideo/G.S.I.L.XIX, 2003
v3/G.S.I.L. XXIX, 2004
lia.sil.at

m.ash (CUBICA)
Sound: Chris Janka
a.k.a. Michael Aschauer, born 1977 in Steyr, Austria. 1999 University of applied Arts, Vienna. Lives and works in Vienna.
recent project list @ http://m.ash.to/art/
m.ash.to

[n:ja] (FRAME)
Sound: Radian
a.k.a. Annja Krautgasser, born in 1971 in Hall; from 1990-2002 studies of architecture and applied art.
000 foundation of the vidok studio.
Videos (Selection):
perceptive faculty 2, 1999
rewind, 2000
track 09, 2001
frame 2002
www.vidok.org

Timo Novotny (NEON)
Sound: Wolfgang Schloegl
*1973 in Böblingen (FRG). 1993-99 University of applied Arts Vienna, visual media class
member of Vidok,Sofa Surfers live (visual.displacements), displacement activity (+ M. Kienzl).
Videos (Selection): wirehead, 1993-96
The Plan, 1997
cargo, 1999
Sofa Rockers, 2000
can i get a witness, 2002
neon, 2003
sempre semper, 2004
Life in Loops 2006
www.vidok.org

reMI (ZIJKFIJERGIJOK)
a.k.a. Renate Oblak, born in Villach, Austria in 1972. Since 1990 various works (costume design, graphics, painting, installations) concentrating on digital sound and video. Participation in group shows in Austria and abroad. Lives and works in Vienna and Zeist.
a.k.a. Michael Pinter, born in Graz, Austria in 1969. Painter, author and composer, concentrates on sound, video and computer art.
Participation in numerous group projects and shows in Austria and abroad. Lives
and works in Graz, Berlin, Utrecht and Zeist.
Videos/Films (Selection):
comp.tot 4, 1999
Teufel Eintritt, 2000
Mobile V, 2000
uta zet, 2001
vague nouvelle, 2002
Vincit Veritas, 2002
zijkfijergijok, 2003
seciron_ra, 2003
remi.mur.at

Billy Roisz (BLINQ)
Sound: Burkhard Stangl, Boris Hauf, Martin Siewert, dieb13, Christof Kurzmann, Sachiko M., Toshimaru Nakamura, Akoasma, Werner Dafeldecker, El
*1967; video- and soundexperiments in context of performance, installation and cinema. Member of efzeg,silly (w/akoasma) and ntsc (w/Dieb13). Lives and works in Vienna.
Videos (Selection):
oberflach.avi, 2000
smokfraqs, dieter kovacic, 2001
katapila, efzeg, 2002
My Kingdom for a Lullaby # 4 (w/Michaela Grill), 2002
(w/Michaela Grill), 2002
-2.20, dieb13, 2003
My Kingdom for a Lullaby # 2 (w/Michaela Grill), 2004
Sources, 2004
"blinq", 2002
gnu.klingt.org

Michaela Schwentner (JET)
Sound: Radian
*1970 in Linz. Studies philosophy, history, drama and media studies. Visuals, various concepts and realizations of exhibitions, concerts and clubs (e.g.: alternative project space "Jadengasse"]).
Co-founder of the label mosz.
Videos (Selection):
orchester 33 1/3 (S8), 1997
r4, 2000
transistor, 2000
#Z, 2001
the_future_of_human_containment, 2002
take the bus, 2002
JET, 2003
giuliana 64:03 (w/Didi Bruckmayr), 2003
tucker, 2004
rhiz.org/jade

Michael Strohmann (ICH BIN TRAURIG)
Sound: Fuckhead
*04.01.72; training at the Bass School Munich and at the Institute for Electro-Acoustic in Vienna.
Involved with the music performance group Fuckhead and Honolulu, the theater groups Bilderwerfer and toxic dreams as composer and interface designer. Interests focus primarily on the fields entropy vs. self- organization, anxiety and liberty.
www.fuckhead.at/sm/

Nik Thoenen (NEON)
Sound: Wolfgang Schloegl
*1963 Zwieselberg (CH), 1986-92 studies of graphic design in Switzerland, 1997 forming of the mediagroup re-p.org in Vienna
Works (Selection):
white_noise (webproject), 2001
void (av performances), 2000-02
./logicaland (webproject), 2002
amoeba (video installation), 2003
neon, 2003
www.re-p.org