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Lenseless

The lens is removed from the camera resulting in a complex interplay of light patterns

Animation & Artists Moving Image 1971 4 mins

Overview

In Lenseless, John Du Cane concentrates his attention on light and its action upon the emulsion of the film when the lens is removed from the camera. The film stock is transported past the camera gate at different speeds (in forward and reverse motion). The subsequent ‘information’ is broken down into four separate images held within one frame, resulting in an interplay of complex light patterns.

Founded in 1966, the London Film-Makers’ Co-operative started life at Better Books, a counter-culture bookshop on Charing Cross Road, where a group led by poet Bob Cobbing and filmmakers Stephen Dwoskin and Jeff Keen met to screen films. Initially inspired by the activities of the New American Cinema Group in New York, the London Co-op grew into a pioneering organisation that incorporated a film workshop, cinema space and distribution office. During its four-decade history, the Co-op played a crucial role in establishing film as an art form in the UK and participated in a vibrant international film scene. This BFI Player collection brings together new scans of films distributed by and/or produced at the London Co-op.