Len Lye "Free Radicals"

I saw this off of an original 16 mm print, which was awesome.

Lye simply had a an eye for motion. He was fascinated by waves and forms and moving light from a young age. There's no trick to it, he did it from the top of his head. There's documentary footage of him making either this film (or an example of it) out there somewhere. He used a compass point and a metre steel ruler, I believe, but it's been a while since I saw it.

Catchy.

Like to thank captainbronstain for putting this up. Been trying to see this again for a long time, the wonders of you tube. Shame Mr lye is not about today as I think he would be very interested in CG. Anyway very good and thank for uploading it ^-^/

This is one of THE MOST SEMINAL FILMIC WORKS for me. I cant think of any other media construction that has influeneced me more. AS a New Zealander I am proud to even attempt to follow in the foot steps Of Lyes greatness a visionary and the most next level artist of his time. VIVA LEN LYE

Strangely contemporary YouTubish - a quick 4 minute artsy piece. This would have languished in obscurity until the advent of the Internet and rise of the short-form video.

This film is one of 25 classic works selected in 2008 for the National Film Registry in the United States. According to the New Zealand Herald, "begun in 1958 and completed in 1979, Lye made scratches directly into the film stock. These scratches became 'figures of motion' that appear in the finished film as horizontal and vertical lines and shapes dancing to the music of the Bagirmi tribe in Africa."

There's got to be an explanation ON TOP of the explanation you gave here for the animation, Gobeirne!
Half the reason I found this so entrancing is that some of those scratched-in squiggles seem to move smoothly across a 3-D picture plane.
Could Mr. Lye animate like that, or was there some trick?
Or does 19 years of work do it?

I know! I'm guessing he bent pieces of wire into various shapes and sketched them onto the film as he rotated them in front of him. Very skillful!

so simple yet to the point...this is one of my favorite works of film art