Len Lye: stuff that moves and makes noises

May 30, 2006 11:47 AM

Len Lye:New Zealander Len Lye was a restless maverick - a pioneer of films without cameras (drawing directly onto the celluloid) and kinetic art (CD available through Atoll, sound samples here and here), and he was also quite handy with poems and inks. More about his Windwand and recently installed Waterwhirler on Flickr. Coralised open directory of short Waterwhirler movies here.
posted by nylon (7 comments total)

wickedsticks.
posted by 6am at 11:54 AM on May 30, 2006

Shoot, I've been looking for Free Radicals on tape for ages. Great post.
posted by evil holiday magic at 12:18 PM on May 30, 2006

Cool. I walk past the whirler every day on the way to work. Good to get some background.
posted by scodger at 12:19 PM on May 30, 2006

Awesome post. Thanks.
posted by erebora at 12:22 PM on May 30, 2006

Great post. Len Lye always amazes me. One of those guys who could produce stuff that is at once charmingly goofy and capable of changing the way you see the world. He was apparently incapable of a conventional thought.
posted by yoink at 1:13 PM on May 30, 2006

hot damn. and I thought I'd learned the important folks who painted or drew directly on film by learning about the likes of walther ruttman and stan brakhage. this is great. thanks.
posted by shmegegge at 1:56 PM on May 30, 2006

Nice post, indeed.
I just showed a few Len Lye films in an animation class, and it was damn hard to find useful online information about the man and/or his art; your post is like one-stop shopping for all things Lye. Huzzah!
posted by Dr. Wu at 2:34 PM on May 30, 2006