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Rockefeller Artists in Television; City/Motion/Space/Game; Gus Solomons performs City/Motion/Space/Game

Part of New Television Workshop.

In "City/Motion/Space/Game," a double-channel work, choreographer Gus Solomons, Jr., provides narration and movement for a work created in collaboration with writer Mary Feldhaus-Weber and composer John Morris. Here Solomons is seen dancing in the WGBH studios. Approximate date: 1968


License Clip
Series
Rockefeller Artists in Television
Program
City/Motion/Space/Game
Title

Gus Solomons performs City/Motion/Space/Game

Series Description

The "Rockefeller Artists-in-Television" residency program was created to support artists working in television. It was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation from 1967 through 1970. It was replaced by "The WGBH Project for New Television." While some of the Rockefeller artists, such as Nam June Paik, were already very committed to the medium of video, others were coming to the medium for the first time or from a film background. Paik developed the Paik-Abe videosynthesizer, with Shuya Abe, while working as a Rockefeller artist (though additional funding for the synthesizer's construction was provided by WGBH). The device was used to generate special effects and color enhancements. Artists supported by this program included: Mary Feldhaus-Weber, Marie Cosindas, Lee Lockwood, Stan Vanderbeek, David Wheeler, Nam June Paik, Zone, Newton Wayland, Shoshana Dubiner, Theo Wolfe, Dick Bartlett, Tim Mayer, The Propositions, Tim Hunter, David Silver, and Jean Shepherd. Many of these artists worked collaboratively to create one or more works. Series release date: 1967

Program Description

In "City/Motion/Space/Game," a double-channel work, choreographer Gus Solomons, Jr., provides narration and movement for a "time movement structure" work created in collaboration with writer Mary Feldhaus-Weber and composer John Morris. Solomons is seen dancing at the Prudential Center, on Boston Common, and in the WGBH studios. When the two channels are viewed side by side, the movements and locations overlap to create a dense tapestry of associated images. Solomons' narration provides a backdrop to the movement. He describes his interest in dance and movement to the viewer and makes suggestions as to how to view the piece. "See what you are interested in looking at at any given moment," he proposes. His tall, lanky frame alternates between everyday pedestrian movements and a technical dance vocabulary. In the studio he works with a complicated grid he has laid out on the floor.

Asset Type

Clip

Media Type

Video

Subjects
Dance
Interviews
Modern dance
Feldhaus-Weber, Mary
Morris, John
Solomons, Gus
Topics
Film and Television
Publication Information
WGBH Educational Foundation
Citation
Chicago: “Rockefeller Artists in Television; City/Motion/Space/Game; Gus Solomons performs City/Motion/Space/Game,” GBH Archives, accessed December 22, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_409EAB8392F140CE865EB669B0EDD7E5.
MLA: “Rockefeller Artists in Television; City/Motion/Space/Game; Gus Solomons performs City/Motion/Space/Game.” GBH Archives. Web. December 22, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_409EAB8392F140CE865EB669B0EDD7E5>.
APA: Rockefeller Artists in Television; City/Motion/Space/Game; Gus Solomons performs City/Motion/Space/Game. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_409EAB8392F140CE865EB669B0EDD7E5
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