Since 1992
WHAT IS EXPERIMENTAL? Each of these short works (under 33 minutes) were developed with specific experiments in mind. Sometimes this meant doing something I had not done before. Other times it was about creating something I had never seen before. Or deconstructing a known genre or fashioning a new one. I'm always experimenting. If there's no experiment performed, it's not experimental to me. - Antero
~ each image links to video ~
"The Celebrants"
THE CELEBRANTS (2023: 32 min.)
A collaborative experiment: without a script, three
performing artists - dancer, singer, guitarist - meet
and discuss their process of approaching a creative
state and then, test their notions in a spontaneous
performance. With Antero Alli, Sylvi Alli, Douglas Allen.
Visit "The Celebrants" site for more pix.
"Love at the Beach"
THE BEACH TRILOGY (2021)
The experiment: to find simple actions that also
symbolize key aspects of my marriage with Sylvi.
Three minimalist videos (3 min. or under) shot on
the northern Oregon coast during summer and fall
of 2021. Each video also features Sylvi's cover of a
classic song. Underlined titles below link to video.
1) "Glamping with the Alli's" (3 min.)
Individual routines performed separately represent
our personal territories, skills, and boundaries.
2) "Love at the Beach" (2:36 min.)
The tenderness and comraderie shared beyond any
routines or plans is something we love the most.
3) "Seeing Each Other" (2:06 min.)
We see each other's blind spots but not always our own
until we find a shared vision and see the same thing.
WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES, ANOTHER OPENS
(2021; 8:44) The experiment: to create a meditation
on the internal experience of shifting between states
of mind or even, states of being. A slower pace, nothing
rushed, the long Now unfolds. Featuring four dancers
opening imaginary doors.
PEARLS & PERILS OF COURTING THE MUSES
(2020; 8:34) The experiment: to record myself reading
an excerpt from my 2020 book, "State of Emergence"
about rituals initiating dialogue with the Muses archetype.
Edited with clips from two of my films inspired by the
Muses and group paratheatrical work footage.
THE ZEN OF ASTRAL PROJECTION (2020; 5:11)
The experiment: to depict the shift from quotidian time
to the timeless astral dimension in this excerpt from
my 2020 feature, "The Vanishing Field.
JIZO GARDEN/DIAMOND SUTRA (2020; 2:42)
The experiment: to combine a field recording of the
ancient Diamond Sutra chant at the Great Vow Zen
monastery with footage I filmed at their Jizo memorial
garden commemorating children lost to death);
from my 2020 feature, "The Vanishing Field.
MARIONETTE (2015; 3:48) The experiment: to film
Sylvi performing the pantomime technique of inhabiting
a marionette that comes to life. Excerpted from my
magical realist feature, "Out of the Woods" (2015-2021);
CGI processed by Michael McWhirter.
THE ANIMA (2008-15; 4:32) The experiment:
to convey my impressions of the Anima archetype
by combining dream sequences from two of my
features, "Sylvani" and "The Invisible Forest"
into a vision all its own. Vocals & music
by Sylvi.CGI by Michael McWhirter.
ROADKILL (2001; 25:32) The experiment: without
a script, we improvises the action and dialogue between
two different couples living parallel lives that meet up by
chance. Music by Sylvi. Click this for more details.
LILY IN LIMBO (1996-2001; 26 min.) The experiment:
to discover a story that mirrored a real-life spiritual crisis
Sylvi was undergoing at the time. This was also our first
film collaboration. Music by Sylvi. Text by Hilda Doolittle
More on "LILY IN LIMBO".
INERTIA (1994; 16 min.) The experiment: with no script
beyond this idea of two couples living parallel lives and
imprvised on site. One couple on the verge of breaking up,
another couple performing mysterious rites in the building
next door. Click for more on INERTIA.
THE RECKONING (1993/ recut 2020; 4:07) The experiment:
filming Butoh performing artists Jyl Brewer and Ed Byrne in
the underground cisterns of Fort Worden and in Seattle WA
unscripted and improvised on site in 1993. Music & vocals
by Sylvi Alli added in 2020.
COLD FORCE (1992-93; 4 min.) The experiment:
to expose certain behaviors resulting in communication
breakdowns and breakups. With butoh artists Jyl Brewer
and Ed Byrne at Fort Worden, Olympic peninsula WA.
I gave them no directions but simply followed them
around with my video camera.
DRIVING MYSELF THERE (1992/ recut 2020; 7:53 min.)
The experiment: to discover the sense of being out of
control while believing that I'm in control, "in the driver's
seat". Featuring an early (1992) excerpt from my radio
interview with Laura Lee. With Camille Hildebrandt
THE WORD, WEIRD (1992; 5:38 min.) The experiment:
to deconstruct the meanings and possible implications of
the word "weird" in this video lecture during a genuinely
weird chapter in my life. Original and found footage set to
a soundscape of the NASA recordings of the planet Jupiter.
~ more to come ~
~ Other Alli Videos ~
