West Coast Experimental Animation: Adam Beckett and His Peers

In the 1970s, Adam Beckett created a body of work that includes some of the most innovative and awe-inspiring experiments in animation. Tragically, his life was cut short at age 29, but the films he left behind remain inimitable achievements of a visionary imagination. This program presents some of Beckett’s greatest works alongside pieces by his mentor Jules Engel and peers including Beth Block and Sky-David, offering a glimpse at the staggering creativity of this too little known school of animation.

Curated by Sean Batton (CMS) as part of the Film Studies Center’s Graduate Student Curatorial Program.

(USA, 1973-1976, 57 min., 16mm from iotaCenter and Canyon Cinema)

Program includes:

Train Landscape (Jules Engel, USA, 1974, 3 min., 16mm)
Shapes and Gestures (Jules Engel, USA, 1976, 7 min., 16mm)
Dear Janice (Adam Beckett, USA, 1973, 13 min., 16mm)
Evolution of the Red Star (Adam Beckett, USA, 1973, 7 min., 16mm)
Heavy Light (Adam Beckett, USA, 1973, 7 min., 16mm)
Sausage City (Adam Beckett, USA, 1974, 5.5 min., 16mm)
Kitsch in Sync (Adam Beckett, USA, 1975, 4.5 min., 16mm)
Luma Nocturna (Sky-David, USA, 1974, 4 min., 16mm)
Film Achers (Beth Block, USA, 1976, 5 min., 16mm)

Pamela Turner is a multimedia artist working in experimental animation. She teaches studio and lecture courses in new media and animation at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she is Chair and associate professor in the Department of Kinetic Imaging. Experience of natural forms and spaces are catalyst for her visual work, which has been exhibited both nationally and internationally at galleries and film festivals, including the Ajijic Festival Internacional de Cine 2000, Ajijic, Mexico; Nashville Independent Film Festival; Worldfest Houston; and the Mill Valley Film Festival.