9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering

by Clone Wen

A special report that introduces our audience to lesser-known pre-histories of technologically-assisted creative and experimental endeavors.

Anthology Film Archives presents the screening series 9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering, featuring the restored film versions of the historic interdisciplinary event 9 Evenings, originally staged in October 1966 at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York.

The screenings are introduced in person by Julie Martin and Morgan Griffin. Julie Martin, now 88 years old, played multiple roles in the original 1966 performances and joined Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.) in 1967. She is the director of Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.), the nonprofit organization, and is also one of the producers and directors of the restored films presented in this series. Morgan Griffin participated in the Film Preservation project from the 1990s through the 2010s and was instrumental in completing the production and assembly of the ten films. Following all the screenings, a panel discussion features Morgan Griffin, Julie Martin, Wendy Perron, Mimi Gross, and Yvonne Rainer.

According to the on-site Q&A the films were shot using both 16mm black-and-white film and a few 35mm color film. The color prints are marked “Certified Color by AT&T”. The sound system was equally complex, with a multi-channel amplification system, FM transmission and reception technology, pre-programmed sound-trigger mechanisms, and engineers directly involved in sound and circuit control. As the performances took place during the Vietnam War, the discussion also addressed how the artists responded to war, Cold War politics, and broader social structures.

The screening schedule is organized into five programs.

Program 1
• Steve Paxton — PHYSICAL THINGS（2013, 30 min）
• Lucinda Childs — VEHICLE（2012, 35 min）
• Deborah Hay — SOLO（2012, 41 min）

Program 2
• Öyvind Fahlström — KISSES SWEETER THAN WINE（1996, 71 min）

Program 3
• Alex Hay — GRASS FIELD（2013, 40 min）
• John Cage — VARIATIONS VII（2007, 41 min）

Program 4
• Robert Whitman — TWO HOLES OF WATER – 3（2013, 35 min）
• David Tudor — BANDONEON! (A COMBINE)（2009, 40 min）

Program 5
Robert Rauschenberg — OPEN SCORE（1997, 33 min (available for streaming here: https://vimeo.com/107488380)
• Yvonne Rainer — CARRIAGE DISCRETENESS（2013, 40 min）