I am happy to announce an exciting series of upcoming events that I have been organizing as part of the Aberdeen Sound Festival in collaboration with Ross Whyte, a colleague in Music. In September, we will be hosting SCRATCH, a set of workshops and film screenings that will introduce participants to a variety of recycled, found footage, and recycled cinema practices, along with the basics of sound production and recording.

The first series of events will be held on the weekend of September 21-22. On Saturday evening, renown “composer, filmmaker, instrument builder, installation artist, live performer, radio and film programmer, light show projectionist, teacher and writer” Ian Helliwell will present his own work, followed by a Q/A session with audience members; on Sunday afternoon, members of the OKO Film Lab will lead a workshop on 16mm direct filmmaking techniques. Participants will be introduced to film as a tactile and physical medium, and encouraged to experiment with different camera-less filmmaking techniques, including drawing, painting, scratching, and making marks on the filmstrip. Participants will also learn how to use a 16mm projector and experiment with the filmstrip as it is projected.

All screenings in the series will be free. A small materials fee will be charged for each workshop session. Further details on time, place, and other events to follow. Mark your calendars!

(Above: CS8 Camera-less Experiments, a collaborative work made during a workshop led by Ian Helliwell, which premiered with three cine-projectors at the Super 8 Film Festival in Cambridge.)