In tandem with our research program, iotaCenter sponsors the publication of writings and monographs about visual music artists. We are currently working on a number of publication projects both printed and online. The Visual Music History Project covers all visual music works from the beginning through the present day.
Visual Music History Project
In the course of our archiving and preservation activities, we are compiling a database of filmmakers and their works which at present time appears as the Artist Profiles section of our website. In the meantime, we offer the resources below --- articles on Visual Music topics by Bill Moritz and others, detailed profiles of particular artists and links to Visual Music sites all over the web.
Optical Poetry: The Life and Work of Oskar Fischinger
by William Moritz
Moritz enjoyed decades of friendship with Elfriede Fischinger and worked closely with her to bring the work of her late husband to a wider audience. His personal quest culminated with the publication of Optical Poetry, the first critical biography of legendary painter and experimental filmmaker Oskar Fischinger.
Fischinger’s pioneering work in Visual Music was instrumental in shaping animation into a cinematic art form inspiring animators to pursue its creative potential. iota began working with Dr. Moritz in 1997, providing support that enabled him to pursue his lifelong mission to document and record the expansive history and aesthetics of Visual Music, an effort that eventually resulted in the publication of Optical Poetry.
Contains articles:
"Hy Hirsh & The Fifties: Jazz and Abstraction in Beat Era Film" by Dr William Moritz,
"Hy Hirsh Preservation: History and Mystery" by Cindy Keefer
"The Analog Roots of Computer Art" by Larry Cuba.
My camera is an inner camera which doesn't do very well when it points out at external
reality. I'm trying to focus on something and bring it back alive from the uncharted
areas of the inner image, inner space.
-Jordan Belson
iotaCenter is a nonprofit organization that provides this information as a public service to film artists and the larger community. We have made sincere efforts to get permission from all rights holders. Please contact us at webmaster@iotacenter.org if you are a rights holder whom we have not yet been able to reach. For all other inquiries, please contact us at info@iotacenter.org