peter burr


special effect


A cinematic performance staged as a live television show inspired by Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1979 sci-fi film "Stalker".  Central to the performance is The Zone, the site of an unnamed cataclysm that is off-limits but pregnant with hope for deep within the Zone, it is rumored, there exists a room where wishes may be granted. The performance employed the use of live green screen compositing, live face tracking and digital facial substitution with binaural vocal performance. These live elements drove the projected narrative, framed by a laser-lit stage set and disrupted by interruptions commissioned from 20 experimental animators (including Amy Lockhart, Yoshi Sodeoka, Billy Grant, Michael Bell-Smith, Ola Vasiljeva, Jacob Ciocci, Andrew Benson, Jeff Kriksciun, Chad VanGaalen, Philippe Blanchard, Eric Mast, Luke Painter, Brandon Blommaert, Stu Hughes, Devin Flynn, Michael Robinson, Brenna Murphy, and Sabrina Ratte ).

Special Effect premiered at the Institute of Modern Art in Brisbane, AU and toured through 30 venues in 8 countries. It spawned a 12” vinyl record of its soundtrack and a limited edition digital download through Undervolt.

The single channel version is currrently available online through Undervolt. The soundtrack is available through Vestibule.


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TECHNICAL INFO
- mixed media performance for cinema
- dimensions variable
- 70:00


PERFORMANCE HISTORY
-2013- Keene State College. Keene, NH
-2013- GIRAF. Calgary, AB
-2013- Cineworks. Vancouver, BC
-2013- Columbia Museum of Art. Columbia, SC
-2013- Basilica Hudson. Hudson, NY
-2013- VIA festival. Pittsburgh, PA
-2013- Ed Video. Guelph, ON
-2013- Pleasure Dome. Toronto, ON
-2013- Film Pop. Montreal, QC
-2013- Portland Institute for Contemporary Art. Portland, OR
-2013- Bijou Cinema. Eugene, OR
-2013- CalArts. Valencia, CA
-2013- Silent Movie Theater. Los Angeles, CA
-2013- Lauba. Zagreb, HR
-2013- Zivot. Ryeka, HR
-2013- Strzelski Gallerie. Stuttgart, DE
-2013- Kinemathek Karlsruhe. Karlsruhe, DE
-2013- WORM. Rotterdam, NL
-2013- Monoquini. Bordeaux, FR
-2013- Cinema Nova. Brussels, BE
-2013- EMAF. Osnabruck, DE
-2013- Artists Unlimited. Bielefeld, DE
-2013- The Bridge. Charlottesville, VA
-2013- Museum of the Moving Image. New York, NY
-2013- Syracuse University. Syracuse, NY
-2012- Australian National University. Canberra, AU
-2012- New Low Gallery. Melbourne, AU
-2012- Meredith Music Festival. Meredith, AU
-2012- Tuxedo Cat. Adelaide, AU

-2012- Institute of Modern Art. Brisbane, AU

ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION CREDITS
- music and sound design by Seabat
- additional music by Lucky Dragons
- programming by Mike Heavers
- additional graphics and story consultation by Billy Grant
- featuring animations by Amy Lockhart, Yoshi Sodeoka, Michael Bell-Smith, Ola Vasiljeva, Jacob Ciocci, Andrew Benson, Jeff Kriksciun, Chad VanGaalen, Philippe Blanchard, Eric Mast, Luke Painter, Brandon Blommaert, Stu Hughes, Devin Flynn, Michael Robinson, Brenna Murphy, and Sabrina Ratte


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