Film/ Concert Review: The Pace Brothers Show Life Is Fleetingly Trippy In The Kitchen
When you hear 2/3 thirds of the legendary Blonde Redhead have decided to soundtrack classic short films/ moving images, you run to check it out. At The Kitchen, as part of Cinema 16, music producers/composers/ instrumentalists, Simone and Amadeo Pace, gave 7 lucky films their musical touch. The result is an hour of psychedelic trips that burst in brevity and impact.
The films of the night were selected by Molly Surno to address issues of legacy, lifespan, and the material/ conceptual decay that seems inevitable to each human life. One of the most difficult things for human beings to accept is that they are temporary. Good seems too fleeting, and evil seems too lasting, but both seem tethered to time, of which many of us have no idea how to properly spend. As the films grasp their own ideas of life as something to invest and create, the Pace brothers music rises as a sonic narrator. The genius of the Pace brothers was brimming by giving each film a distinct music that made the “Pace sound” secondary in importance, which is honorable. It was not Blonde Redhead soundtracking movies, as much as a few, great films musically re-designed by the Pace brothers. The result was a re-discovery, for the audience, of their talent and creativity and even crossing into newer, brighter sounds. Films like Dynamo Duo (1971) by Liz Rhodes and A Phantasy (1952) had a mystical playfulness to the Paces’ chords, of which sounded like an arcade game of wizardry. The films, which were cartooned images, splashed with unique patterns and shapes that met beautifully with the brothers own visionary music. Certain chords made me see visions beyond the film which was fantastic for Berlin Horse (1970) by Malcolm La Grice and Flesh Flows (1974) by Adam Beckett. Both films used colorful, repetitive images to show the beauty in the mundane or routine.
By far, my favorite films of the night were Power of Ten (1977) by Charles and Ray Eames and Removed (1999) by Naomi Uman. Power of Ten was visually stunning and intergalactic in reminding viewers how small they are in comparison to the universe, yet how filled they are with the cosmos. Meanwhile, Removed was an art-piece revealing the indifference shown to a woman’s body as a sexual object. It was as if woman was something to sexualize but not be seen and heard, which is not a new statement of this rightful complaint. Yet, Uman’s film was gorgeously presented. With each synth wave and drum the Pace brothers twisted, hurled, and curled, you could see the stars and symbols that make humans something to watch but also something to look away. For More Information On Cinema 16 And The Kitchen, of which this event was held, Click Here. Both do so much to make sure art is kept powerful, interesting, and socially relevant.
