︎March 22rd, 2024
Join Ecologies of Labour - Chasing Tale Winding | Expanded cinema/moving image laboratory
O P E N C A L L
We are thrilled to announce our grassroots initiative to support artists who want to develop one project with small-gauge film as the primary working material. This is an open call for a laboratory and workshop series for working with film (celluloid) and moving images as an artistic practice.
𝙆𝙚𝙮 𝘿𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨:
• We are looking for project proposals from those who are interested in making a film on film, or an expanded audiovisual project using film (celluloid).
• You don’t need to be an experienced artist, but some basic exposure to artistic or audio-visual media is an advantage.
• The process runs through 5-6 months of collective sessions and individual conversations in a benevolent and safe environment.
• We consider the collective form of the laboratory as a method. The work sessions are imagined as collective and collaborative.
• In this series of workshops, we will share our tactics regarding the styles, techniques, and approaches in experimental filmmaking.
• All participants are expected to complete their experimental short films by the end of the workshop series.
• We are looking for project proposals from those who are interested in making a film on film, or an expanded audiovisual project using film (celluloid).
• You don’t need to be an experienced artist, but some basic exposure to artistic or audio-visual media is an advantage.
• The process runs through 5-6 months of collective sessions and individual conversations in a benevolent and safe environment.
• We consider the collective form of the laboratory as a method. The work sessions are imagined as collective and collaborative.
• In this series of workshops, we will share our tactics regarding the styles, techniques, and approaches in experimental filmmaking.
• All participants are expected to complete their experimental short films by the end of the workshop series.
𝙏𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨: Bon Alog, Miglė KrižinauskaitėBernotienė, Miklós Miki Ambrózy alongside other external local and international artists and guests
𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙚𝙚: €200 (inclusive of essential materials and equipment)
𝘼𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚: April 12th, 2024
𝘼𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢: https://forms.gle/8s972jJq8pJKkGnV8
𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤, 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨: spongelaboratory@gmail.com
𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙚𝙚: €200 (inclusive of essential materials and equipment)
𝘼𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚: April 12th, 2024
𝘼𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢: https://forms.gle/8s972jJq8pJKkGnV8
𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤, 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨: spongelaboratory@gmail.com
Seize this opportunity to explore and expand your creative practice!
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︎November 23th, 2024
27.11.2023 7PM
Experimental film programme “Moving terrain” unravels alternative approaches to traditional storytelling. Each artist embarks on a cinematic journey, navigating their path in the realm of experimental moving images—a poetic endeavor, philosophical fragments, psychological landscapes, reflections or a personal passage through time and space. Works challenges to expand cognitive horizons and encourages contemplation on the diverse ways artists interpret and convey their narratives.
Chronos ABC, 2015, Vytautas Kazimieras Juozenas @skicascia 5:30min.
Castorocene, 2019, George Finlay Ramsey @gframsay 11min.
The Fall, 2022, Egle Razumaite @rasaulee 22min.
Chambers, 2019, Kipras Dubauskas @bnakti 3:32min.
Granitepoints, 2023, Miky Ambrozy @miki.ambrozy 19:00min.
∞ / Infinity, 2013, Vytautas Kazimieras Juozenas @skicascia 3:20min.
Family Fugue, 2022, George Finlay Ramsey @gframsay 35min.
Join lithuanian cold beetroot soup ev. with Odair Monteiro @o_da_ir. Screening starts at 7PM in Laboratório da Torre, Rua dos Mercadores, nº 136, R/C, Porto. Curated by Bon Alog in collaboration with Laia @laia_coop and Laboratório da Torre @laboratorio_torre.
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︎July 18th, 2024
27.11.2023 7PM
This two-day workshop is an introduction to alternative processes for developing 16mm black and white negative film using local flora. The workshop explores alternative developing processes, passes down technical skills, and can help participants develop their artistic practice in the experimental film context. During the workshop participants will get to know how to make eco-friendly developer, mix their own solution and will try it out with B/W 16mm cine film. The second part of the workshop will be dedicated to flat printing techniques, where negative film is contact printed with different variations and effects using a plant-based developer.
︎November 23th, 2024
Spongė Lab screening in Porto
27.11.2023 7PM
Experimental film programme “Moving terrain” unravels alternative approaches to traditional storytelling. Each artist embarks on a cinematic journey, navigating their path in the realm of experimental moving images—a poetic endeavor, philosophical fragments, psychological landscapes, reflections or a personal passage through time and space. Works challenges to expand cognitive horizons and encourages contemplation on the diverse ways artists interpret and convey their narratives.
Chronos ABC, 2015, Vytautas Kazimieras Juozenas @skicascia 5:30min.
Castorocene, 2019, George Finlay Ramsey @gframsay 11min.
The Fall, 2022, Egle Razumaite @rasaulee 22min.
Chambers, 2019, Kipras Dubauskas @bnakti 3:32min.
Granitepoints, 2023, Miky Ambrozy @miki.ambrozy 19:00min.
∞ / Infinity, 2013, Vytautas Kazimieras Juozenas @skicascia 3:20min.
Family Fugue, 2022, George Finlay Ramsey @gframsay 35min.
Join lithuanian cold beetroot soup ev. with Odair Monteiro @o_da_ir. Screening starts at 7PM in Laboratório da Torre, Rua dos Mercadores, nº 136, R/C, Porto. Curated by Bon Alog in collaboration with Laia @laia_coop and Laboratório da Torre @laboratorio_torre.
︎July 18th, 2024
B&W 16mm cine film workshop with Riojim (FR) | Alternative-bio developing and contact printing
27.11.2023 7PM
This two-day workshop is an introduction to alternative processes for developing 16mm black and white negative film using local flora. The workshop explores alternative developing processes, passes down technical skills, and can help participants develop their artistic practice in the experimental film context. During the workshop participants will get to know how to make eco-friendly developer, mix their own solution and will try it out with B/W 16mm cine film. The second part of the workshop will be dedicated to flat printing techniques, where negative film is contact printed with different variations and effects using a plant-based developer.
︎June 23rd, 2023
Why Cut When You Can Fade? | Reading session (Part 2)
On 27th of August Spongė Lab members Miki Ambrozy and Bon Alog held a reading session. Selected parts from Cinema expanded. Avant-Garde film in the Age of intermedia - Jonathan Walley (MIT, 2020) were collectively read and discussed . Session involved screening of some experimental works.”.
More info: https://fb.me/e/11Tcn0Wso
︎June 23rd, 2023
Why Cut When You Can Fade? | Reading session (Part 1)
On 23rd of June Spongė Lab members Miki Ambrozy and Bon Alog held a reading session dedicated to avant-garde filmmaker, photographer, writer, theoretician Hollis Framption essays from ”On the Camera Arts and Consecutive Matters”.
More info: https://fb.me/e/3zWIuOAtY
︎May 28-29th, 2022
16mm BW film workshop with Vytautas K. Juozenas | Vilnius
On May 28-29 16mm BW film workshop in Spongė Lab. We are happy to announce our 16mm BW film workshop with Vytautas Kazimieras Juozėnas. He will introduce shooting, processing on 16mm BW film.
More info: https://fb.me/e/1zbCZvDVt
︎February 3, 2020Baltic-Nordic meet at FILMVERKSTADEN | Vaasa
On January 16-19 4th Baltic-Nordic meet was held in Vaasa, Finland. Spongė had a great pleasure to participate and visit Filmverkstaden lab. We also had a chance to meet other participants; All Hands On Deck (STPLN) from Sweden, Baltic Analog Lab from Latvia. During the long weekend we all went deep into alternative photography technique - wet plate or collodion photography process, which was introduced at the workshop by Gunnar Bäckman. Every participant was able to try taking pictures with a large format camera and independently create a portrait on an aluminium plate. We also discussed Baltic-Nordic network future perspectives; how we could incorporate more members and collectives, how and when we could present our Nordic-Baltic film program. On our last day we had a pleasure to see a fresh program of recent works by our colleagues. Looking forward for upcoming visit to Norway, Tromsø in February 27!
︎August 29, 2019
Uniting analog labs in Baltic and Nordic region
This August Spongė had a pleasure to host members from four analog labs and collectives based in Baltic-Nordic region.
Baltic Analog Lab (LV), Filmwerkstaden (FI),STPLN (SE), Polar Lab (NO) and us, all together in Vilnius for four peculiar days. Some of us met for the very first time, some had a chance to share their latest contrivance with an old buddy. The very first day began at Spongė studio, where we have started an important discussion about the implications of our meeting and a final goal, which has to be set up by putting forward a clear vision of region's analog motion picture scene and each lab's strongest sides.
A comprehensive workshop took place at Vilnius Academy of Arts together with the great supervisor Gintas Kavoliūnas. The workshop on film toning was leaded by Vytautas K. Juozėnas (see beautiful results achieved at the gallery below). You can get surprised knowing how productive it all went - we managed to shoot on 16mm, 35mm, develop it, tone it, KINOmanual made a short animation of us wiggling in academy's balcony, Armands Andže tested his DIY emulsion on the glass plates, Vytautas took inimitable portraits, the sun was shining and we felt uplifted while it was setting down. On the third day we had our guests' films screening at the old Ozas cinema hall. The hall was small but full, we had a chance to introduce the one year networking project with all the labs that are involved. Later followed two performances at SHCH gallery by BAL members and KINOmanual duo. That's when it felt how being together, helping each other and working on the same goals is something that united us not only for those four days.
We all sat at the brunch table talking, sharing our thoughts on what could be done to improve the program of our screenings as well as how we could shape identity of our region and present it for other continents. Many questions were raised, many new ideas came and so we are looking forward for the third meeting at STPLN lab, Malmo!
Special thanks to:
Simonas Kuliešis,
Ūla Tornau,
Ozas cinema hall team,
LTMKS,
Vilnius Academy of Arts, Photography and media arts department - Gintas Kavoliūnas.
Spongė is a part of one year networking project with support of Nordic Culture Point
︎July 17, 2019Performances night
Spongė invites you to two performances from two countries,
the action will take place at SHCH/ŠČ gallery (Teatro str., 7A) on 3rd of August from 10pm.
Baltic Analog Lab from Latvia and kinoMANUAL lab from Poland are coming to Vilnius on the occasion of Baltic-Nordic exchange series. We are glad to be the first lab, that hosts artists with uniting interest in working with analog motion picture production and present the upcoming performances night by introducing the two pieces.
A family project whose key element is the recording of words spoken by the artists’ daughter – Nina – while asleep. Collecting her subconscious utterances took three years. In that time, Nina lost her milk teeth, which after being bought from her by her parents served to create the visual part of the project. As a result, a multi-channel projection inspired by the Milky Way, milk teeth and Nina’s selected drawings was created. In the sound layer, the unconscious child’s voice mixes with the delicate electronic ambient and the audiosfera of the immediate home environment. The Milk Medium is a discreet, surreal, family documentary that took the form of an audiovisual concert. Its performers are also the protagonists of the story.
kinoMANUAL /Aga Jarząb, Maciek Bączyk/ (PL), born 1977 r., artistic duo associated with the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław. Together, they create films and objects corresponding to the rich tradition of moving images, kinetic art and experimental cinema. Focused on activities in the field of media art, they mainly explore analogue techniques of image and sound production. They cooperate with international artists and institutions, including Filmverkstaden in Finland. Individual exhibitions: Hallands Konstmuseum, Halmstad, 2016, Galeria Entropia, Wrocław, 2018, The New Space Gallery, Vaasa, 2019; Collective exhibitions: Art Trace Gallery, Tokyo, 2017. Films kinoMANUAL won the third prize (ZKM Karlsruhe, 2016) as well as the second prize and the audience award (CeTA, Wrocław, 2018) during international festival of abstract films Punto y Raya.
Source: http://wro2019.wrocenter.pl/en/works/milk-medium/
BAL members presents collective performance using multiple 16mm projectors and in various ways processed film. Baltic Analog Lab is a collective founded in 2016 in Riga uniting filmmakers and artists interested in analog film and photography, Baltic Analog Lab aims to produce, teach and inspire an audience by providing a space for creation, learning and teaching. High focus of the lab is education and collaboration; this is maintained by regular workshops led by BAL members and foreigner guests. It also includes film screenings and expanded cinema events. The main curatorial event of the lab is the experimental film festival ‘Process’, which occurs during March in Riga. There are other regular events organised by the lab, where a crucial emphasis is put on interdisciplinary collaboration between analog filmmakers, musicians, poets, dancers and other artists.
Moments of the performance from 2018 ,,Process'' festival in Riga
https://vimeo.com/316917533
the action will take place at SHCH/ŠČ gallery (Teatro str., 7A) on 3rd of August from 10pm.
Baltic Analog Lab from Latvia and kinoMANUAL lab from Poland are coming to Vilnius on the occasion of Baltic-Nordic exchange series. We are glad to be the first lab, that hosts artists with uniting interest in working with analog motion picture production and present the upcoming performances night by introducing the two pieces.
''Milk Medium'' kinoManual /Maciej Bączyk, Aga Jarząb/ (PL)
A family project whose key element is the recording of words spoken by the artists’ daughter – Nina – while asleep. Collecting her subconscious utterances took three years. In that time, Nina lost her milk teeth, which after being bought from her by her parents served to create the visual part of the project. As a result, a multi-channel projection inspired by the Milky Way, milk teeth and Nina’s selected drawings was created. In the sound layer, the unconscious child’s voice mixes with the delicate electronic ambient and the audiosfera of the immediate home environment. The Milk Medium is a discreet, surreal, family documentary that took the form of an audiovisual concert. Its performers are also the protagonists of the story.
kinoMANUAL /Aga Jarząb, Maciek Bączyk/ (PL), born 1977 r., artistic duo associated with the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław. Together, they create films and objects corresponding to the rich tradition of moving images, kinetic art and experimental cinema. Focused on activities in the field of media art, they mainly explore analogue techniques of image and sound production. They cooperate with international artists and institutions, including Filmverkstaden in Finland. Individual exhibitions: Hallands Konstmuseum, Halmstad, 2016, Galeria Entropia, Wrocław, 2018, The New Space Gallery, Vaasa, 2019; Collective exhibitions: Art Trace Gallery, Tokyo, 2017. Films kinoMANUAL won the third prize (ZKM Karlsruhe, 2016) as well as the second prize and the audience award (CeTA, Wrocław, 2018) during international festival of abstract films Punto y Raya.
Source: http://wro2019.wrocenter.pl/en/works/milk-medium/
''Expanded cinema'' Baltic Analog Lab / Ieva Balode, Inese Tīkmane, Michael Holland /(LV)
BAL members presents collective performance using multiple 16mm projectors and in various ways processed film. Baltic Analog Lab is a collective founded in 2016 in Riga uniting filmmakers and artists interested in analog film and photography, Baltic Analog Lab aims to produce, teach and inspire an audience by providing a space for creation, learning and teaching. High focus of the lab is education and collaboration; this is maintained by regular workshops led by BAL members and foreigner guests. It also includes film screenings and expanded cinema events. The main curatorial event of the lab is the experimental film festival ‘Process’, which occurs during March in Riga. There are other regular events organised by the lab, where a crucial emphasis is put on interdisciplinary collaboration between analog filmmakers, musicians, poets, dancers and other artists.
Moments of the performance from 2018 ,,Process'' festival in Riga
https://vimeo.com/316917533
︎May 16, 2019
Dianna Barrie & Richard Tuohy visiting Vilnius
We are more than happy to welcome two of the most active experimental film artists from Australia, who are visiting Vilnius and Spongė Lab from May 16th to the 19th.
Richard Tuohy runs Nanolab in Australia – the specialist small gauge film processing laboratory. He actively encourages other artists to work with cine film through his Artist Film Workshop initiative (see artistfilmworkshop.org). He is also a founding director of the Australian International Experimental Film Festival. Dianna BARRIE is an experimental filmmaker. She found her way into filmmaking as a middle ground between the pursuit of abstract music and philosophy. In 2006 together with Richard Tuohy she established Nanolab, which is a hand-processing lab for super-8 black-and-white and colour reversal film. This exploration has spread beyond individual work to the establishment of the Artist Film Workshop. In 2017 she made the film Inside the Machine with Richard Tuohy.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s Richard was an active member of the Melbourne Super 8 Film Group. During this time, he was interested in narrative film making and made three long works on super 8 and 16mm. He then detoured into academic life for 7 years studying philosophy, first at La Trobe (where he received the David Hume honours prize for philosophy in 1995), then with an APA scholarship to undertake a PhD at the Australian National University (with a period in Germany).
After philosophy, Richard moved to Daylesford, built a house, and studied music and botany (privately) for some years. In 2005 he returned to filmmaking, but this time in the experimental/abstract cinema direction. In 2006 he and his partner started 'nanolab' as an artist run film laboratory offering super 8 processing. In 2009 he began submitting his films in international film festivals. Richard also helps to convene the Artist Film Workshop - a screening and educational forum in Melbourne for encouraging the use of film in art practice. He has run numerous AFW workshops both at nanolab and at AFW in Melbourne.
,,Mostly my films involve natural features or environments. These films have been described rather nicely as ‘earth animations’ and ‘landscape dances’. The connotations of both these descriptions appeal to me. I like to see my approach as a kind of cine-cubism: attending to and abstracting certain features from my subject through making temporal and graphic associations etc., without resorting to a prosaic depiction. I like to use formal structures to cut out (or rather, ‘abstract’ out) what I see as the 'fleshiness' of the particular. While often originating with images from nature, my films are at base about form, structure, time and pattern, rather than about content in any direct sense. Ultimately, they are more about ‘looking’ than ‘thinking’.'' - R. Tuohy
Dianna Barrie's film work could be characterised as "direct chemical" filmmaking involving interventions during hand processing and exacting editing and/or printing processes; they are then completed with simple layered sound constructions. This exploration has spread beyond individual work to her joint establishment in 2012 of Artist Film Workshop in Melbourne.
On the 19th of May we kindly invite people to Ozo hall for an amazing opportunity to meet both artists and to see the program ,,A Mexhanical Craft''. All the films will be screened using 16mm projector.
Sources:
https://www.nanolab.com.au/richard_tuohy.htm
http://film-makerscoop.com/filmmakers/dianna-barrie/bio
https://iffr.com/en/persons/dianna-barri