Frownland - moving images, with sounds (Köner, Niblock, Casas, Piscitelli)

Frownland (moving images, with sounds)* is a series of video screenings that will take place over the course of four nights, starting from Tuesday 18th January till Wednesday 9th February 2011, each of which will feature works by a different author: Thomas Köner (Tuesday 18/1), Phill Niblock (Friday 4/2), Paolo Piscitelli (Wednesday 2/2) and Carlos Casas (Wednesday 9/2).
The artists were chosen on the basis of their interest in landscapes, and each of them gives his own personal interpretation of the theme, often fluctuating between objectivity and subjectivity: some chose a descriptive/documentary-style approach, working inside (Niblock) or slightly outside (Casas) the boundaries of ethnographical research; others decided to view the landscape as an object of observation, to analyse and break down, ultimately transfigurating it in order to attain a visionary state (Köner); or moreover, as an iconic element to evoke through the minimal and repetitive practice of the sculptural act (Piscitelli).
The works were completed over a long period of time, which goes from 1973/74 (as far as Phill Niblock’s video is concerned) to 2010, the year during which Thomas Köner’s most recent videos were shot. Carlos Casas’ three works are from the 2000s, while “Labor #6”, by Paolo Piscitelli, though shot in 2009, was only finished editing by the author himself at the beginning of 2011, and is showcased here for the very first time.

* “Frownland” is the title of the first track on side one of the double album “Trout Mask Replica”, by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, issued in 1969