India's Non-Nuclear Course
Chandra Shekhar Jha was India's foreign secretary from 1965 to 1967. In this video segment, Jha explains why India cannot exclude the future possibility of owning nuclear weapons. The key to disarmament, he insists, rests with the nuclear nations that are 'adding to their stockpiles' and 'preparing for war. 'Jha's interview conducted for War and Peace in the Nuclear Age: 'The Haves and Have-Nots' begins with his recollections of his devastating post-war tour of Japan with Prime Minister Jawaharl
Healey's Theorem
Denis Healey was the British secretary of state for defense from 1964 to 1970 and chancellor of the exchequer from 1974 to 1979. In this video segment, Healey reflects on the period in which he was defense secretary under Prime Minister Harold Wilson. He recalls the opposing interests of Germany and the United States with regard to nuclear strategy, explains his 'Healey theorem' of deterrence, and clarifies France's position that alliances can't coexist with nuclear weapons. Healey also assesses
Small Jubilee, A
'A Small Jubilee' presents images of student uprisings, amusement parks, and street scenes. The images are processed and animated and alternate between black and white and color saturated. Dramatic text with religious overtones by Shalom Gorewitz and Beo Morales is spoken as a voiceover and examines religious symbolism.
Living with the Living Theater
'Living with the Living Theater,' 1989, was created by video artist Nam June Paik with Betsy Connors and Paul Garrin, and is a documentary-style look at Judith Malina and Julian Beck of the experimental Living Theater drama group. In Paik''s style, the footage is played backwards, forwards, and at odd speeds. Segments are juxtaposed with little explanation as to their relationship. Scenes witnessed include interviews with Malina, Beck, the poet Jackson Mac Low and the painter Iris Lezak about co
J. S. Bach
'Video artist Downey uses dramatic special effects to examine the life and works of composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Shot mostly in the wintery East German towns where Bach lived and worked, this layered, impressionistic video portrait of the composer reconstructs a path through Bach's eighteenth-century life and the source of his musical inspiration.' The piece is divided into three sections -Death, Flashback, and Counterpoint. Text by Nobel Peace Prize winner and Bach biographer Albert Schweitz
Femme a la Cafetiere, La
Acclaimed theater director brings movement to Cezanne's painting, reproduced in the studio for the camera. [Suzushi Hanayagi,] a dancer from the Kabuki theater, performs the role of the woman, whose slight, almost imperceptible, facial and body movements -- together with mysteriously animated objects and strange apparitions -- bring the painting alive. A spoon stirs a cup of coffee without the benefit of human assistance. An off-camera figure manipulates objects. The woman eats green candies. A
Darkness of My Language
"A video poem on colonialism, 'Darkness of My Language' reveals how this system defines personal identities and perpetuates cultural ignorance. Produced in Canada by Brazilian Silvana Afram, the program is both documentary in nature as well as subjective in tone. While the soundtrack is composed of tourists' exasperating questions, the images evoke the artist" distance from home." In black and white, closeups of faces are accompanied by voiceover attempts to respond to questions about Brazilian
Vacation II
'Connors creates a fantasy vacation in limitless circumstances by constructing a travelogue that moves from New England forests to the bottom of the sea, to outer space and to all corners of the world. The artist uses video effects such as computer-assisted animation, editing processes, and sophisticated matting techniques as metaphors for perceptual experience.' Using both miniature sets and still and moving images of various environments, Betsy Connors evokes both real and virtual spaces.
Kissing Booth, The
Documentary-style piece in which four celebrities (Quentin Crisp -author, Emily XYZ -poet, Joe Morton -actor, Spider -musician) talk about kissing, seduction, relationships, love, sex, and romance in the U.S., England, and South Africa. Speakers muse about the subjects and talk about their own personal experiences. Shots of speakers talking directly to the camera are interspersed with straightforward and computer-enhanced scenes of couples kissing. Approximately 28 minutes in length.
Joan Jonas in 'Double Lunar Dogs'
'Double Lunar Dogs,' 1984, is an impressionistic, dramatic work by video artist Joan Jonas. It juxtaposes several scenes to create the picture of the life of the inhabitants of a traveling spaceship, whose destination has long since been forgotten, and who remember life on earth as it has been passed down to them from their ancestors on board the ship. The work addresses the question of what these travelers remember of Earth. In this short sequence, two women paint each other's portraits on tran
Hall's Crossing
'Hall's Crossing' refers to a place in the American West where natural rhythms collide with scenic cruisers and tour buses. 'Hall's Crossing' is an electronic 'see America,' set in a place where natural vistas and cultural myths overlap, a place where the canyon meets the road. Scenes of the Grand Canyon portray both the beauty of the area and its invasion by tourists. The tourists attempt to capture the imagery through the medium of photography. At one point a narrator, Dr. Giselda Benda, speak
Dance of Darkness
Edin Velez's study of Butoh includes archival footage of early Butoh pioneer Tatsumi Hijikata, who is credited as the form's originator. Kazuo Ohno, another early Butoh performer, is shown performing his famous 'Admiring La Argentina,' and other works. Other companies whose works are shown include Akaji Mori's Dai Rakuda Kan, Isamu Ohsuga's Byakko Sha, and Yoko Ashikawa's Hakutoboh. These examples reveal the depth and diversity of Butoh as it has evolved. Many of these dancers worked directly wi
River Systems: Process and Form
This site provides access to a number of visual resources and supporting material about physical processes acting in rivers and floodplains. Visualizations include simple animations, visual output from numerical models, sediment transfer movies, and numerous static illustrations and photos. Resources can be integrated into lectures, labs, classes, or other activities about fluvial processes and landscape evolution over time.
Rocky Coastlines and Erosional Landforms
This site provides Flash animations that demonstrate the formation of erosional coastal landforms. Visualizations illustrate the erosional processes responsible for the creation of arches and straightening coastlines. These resources may be integrated into lectures, labs or other activities.
The Great Chief Justice at Home
offers photos of John Marshall's residence in Richmond, Virginia. This website also describes how Marshall, who wrote 519 opinions in his 34 years as chief justice (1801-1835), transformed the Supreme Court from obscurity into a prominent, powerful institution.
The Battle of Horseshoe Bend: Collisions of Cultures
looks at the decisive battle of the Creek War (1813-1814), where Andrew Jackson fought 1,000 American Indian warriors who were trying to regain autonomy. It examines the history of the battle and provides maps, images, and readings.
Paterson, New Jersey: America's Silk City
examines conditions that led to the famous 1913 strike in a city that produced nearly half the U.S.'s manufactured silk. Conflicts between labor and management increased in the U.S. during the early 20th century. In Paterson, on January 27, 1913, when Henry Doherty tried to extend a new four-loom system throughout his plant, 800 silk weavers walked out. More than 20,000 Paterson silk workers took part in the strike, which lasted over five months.
The Frankish Building: A Reflection of the Success of Ontario, California
helps students gauge the impact of the Chaffey brothers and Charles Frankish on Ontario, California, and compare their efforts with those of similarly important figures in their own community's history.
Two American Entrepreneurs: Madam C.J. Walker and J.C. Penney
This site features the life stories of two business people who lived the American Dream and who helped make that dream a reality for others in their communities. It tells how Walker, an African American woman, and Penney, a former tuberculosis patient, built from scratch their multi-million and billion dollar businesses.
The Trail of Tears: The Forced Relocation of the Cherokee Nation
tells about the removal of the Cherokee Nation from their ancestral homeland (NC, TN, GA, AL) to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). After passage of the Indian Removal Act and the discovery of gold on Cherokee lands (1830), about 100,000 American Indians living between the original 13 states and the Mississippi River were relocated to Oklahoma. The trails they followed came to be known as the Trail of Tears.
