From: artist1@rdrc.rpi.edu (Artist # 1)
Subject: WAX OR THE DISCOVERY OF TV AMONG THE BEES: playdates
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 03:40:51 GMT


i think that readers of alt.war might find this film of interest as 
an alternate take on the Gulf War. Shot on location at the
White Sands Missile Rang (including Trintiy Site), the main character
is a military flight simulation system programmer. Strangely, the
script, the main outline for which was in place in '86, is 
predicated on the war with Iraq (mind you, this is quite a strnage film,
we're not talking Tom Clancy here), and was actually in the last
stages of completion as the US tanks approached Iraq. 


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It's been about 2 months since I last posted about my electronic
cinema sci-fi feature:

===========================================================
"WAX or the discovery of television among the bees" (85:00) 
===========================================================

Since that time, the film version has successfully opened in New
York. If you want the reviews, a description, etc. I have a 62k
text file I can send you. Write me at :       
artist1@rdrc.rpi.edu		(my name is David Blair)

I made the film, and now I have to get it shown (i.e. I am self-
distributing), which is why I am taking the liberty of posting.


To warm you up, here's a bunch of quotes:

William Gibson (author, Neuromancer, Count Zero, etc.) on WAX:

"Winningly strange video narrative from a singular talent.
Authentically peculiar. Like something from the network vaults of
an alternate universe."

Larry McCaffery (editor, "Storming the Reality Studio: A Casebook
on Cyberpunk and Postmodern Fiction", Duke University Press):

"WAX strikes me as a truly major accomplishment, intellectually
rich, verbally inventive, visually stunning, and -- perhaps most
remarkable of all -- as emotionally resonant as any film I've
come across in recent years."

Brooks Landon (author, "Aesthetics of Ambivalence: Rethinking SF
Film in the Age of Electronic (Re)Production", Greenwood Press)

"WAX is like no movie you have ever seen. Call it postmodern,
postcyberpunk... or post cinema, the point is this 85 minute
celebration of the possibilities of "electronic cinema" may well
indicate the future direction of SF film, if not "film" itself.

William T. Vollman (author, "You Bright and Risen Angels", "The
Iceshirt", "The Rainbow Stories", all Penguin/Viking Press)

"I admire your dark and paranoid visions in all of their
intergalactic complexity."

Timothy Leary

"WAX is a treat for the eyeballs, a delight for the receptor
sites, a brilliant illumination for our left brains and our right
brains!"





Here are the screenings:

Bern:
Kunstmuseum Bern
October 22, 24, 25
(on film)


Cleveland:
Cleveland Cinematheque
weekend of Nov. 6th. (4 shows)
(on film)


Minneapolis:
University Film Society
Nov. 6-12th
(on film)


San Francisco:
Stanford Computer Systems Lab Colloquium (EE380)
Wed. Nov.4, 4:15pm
(this class is carried on Stanford's SITN network, distributed to
a variety of sites around the country)
(talk with video)


San Francisco:
New Langton Arts. 
Sat. Nov. 7, evening 

This is part of a 3 day conference called "Cybernarrations: A
Festival of post-Futurity" organized by Larry McCaffery (Storming
the Reality Studio). The line up is: 

Thursday: Larry McCaffery, Brooks Landon, Misha, and John Shirley
talk about literary "cybernarrations".

Friday: Bruce Sterling, St. Jude, and Takayuki Tatsumi talk about
Sterling's new book.

Sat: WAX, and then talk with DB, Richard Kadrey, and Scott
Bukatman about visual "cybernarrations".
(on video)


Sydney:
as part of 
TISEA (Third International Seminar on Electronic Arts)

WAX will be screening in the Reception Hall at the Sydney Opera
House Nov. 10-13, 2.30-4 pm.
Lecture by DB on Friday

Largest electronic arts conference ever held in Australia... it
appears that there are over 100 invited participants, from every
sub-species of the electronic arts. If you are in NSW, you should
attend!
(on video)


Melbourne:
as part of 
EXPERIMENTA
Sat. Nov. 20th , State Film Theatre 
Biennial festival of experimental film/video, with screenings,
installations, performance, music, cyber-culture, and talks.
Certainly much better than anything we have in the US.
Q&A session with DB after
(on video)


Amsterdam
Rialto Cinema
Nov. 17
(on film) 


Tucson:
Arizona Center for the Media Arts
Dec. 3-6 (six shows?)
Possible talk. 
(on film)


Honolulu
Hawaiian Intl. Film Festival
Varsity Theatre, Nov. 30th
Art Theatre (?), also Nov. 30th
present at both sessions
(on film)


San Francisco:
Roxie Cinema
opens Jan. 1st for a one week run (24 shows, I think)
(on film)


San Francisco:
UC Berkeley
Jan. 8 and Jan.9th
(on film)


London:
Scala Theatre, London
(Dec. or January)
(on film)


More dates in the UK will be posted next time.


Thanks for your attention. If you think of a good venue, let me
know!

If you are curious about cassettes, I am selling a limited
edition of 500, signed and numbered, to help pay off the post
production and distribution expenses. They are $36 postpaid. My
address is 

David Blair
P.O. Box 174, 
Cooper Station
New York, NY 10276