American painter and photographer Man Ray produced iconoclastic works in a variety of media. Part of the Dada movement, his photos are perhaps best known, though his paintings are worth your attention too. His films, now the subject of a revival, are certainly worthy of closer appreciation. And now with this current program in New York, that process has begun.
Soundtracked by a score from filmmaker Jim Jarmusch and Carter Logan (Bad Rabbit, The Space Merchants) as SQÜRL, these four Man Ray shorts are due for attention by new audiences. Étoile de mer (1928), Emak bakia (1926), Le Retour á la Raison (1923), and Les Mysteres du Château de Dé (1929) are works which find the photographer/painter pushing the boundaries of his own art, and pursuing a vision both surrealist and Dada in nature. The music here is spacious an suitably discordant in spots, allowing for listeners to soak in the music on its own terms, as well as use the music as a sonic guide to the visual journey of Man Ray.
The film program will be expanind outside of New York City and the album is out now. Music for Man Ray by SQÜRL is out now via Sacred Bones.
[Photo: Tom Jarmusch]