mnartists.org: John Koch

Rite of Spring (2008)

John Koch — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:53:52 GMT

Video backdrop for dance reinterpretation of Igor Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring." Collaboration with Live Action Set.

Yesterday (2010)

John Koch — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:18:09 GMT

A man on the verge of moving to work in Japan returns to his college stomping grounds to find there isn't much left of his old life. Created for Cinema Revolution Society's Minneapolis Project 2010.

Today (2010)

John Koch — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:15:04 GMT

A woman contemplates the value of life lived in the moment as she sits in Minnehaha Falls Park, and is approached by a stranger. Created for Cinema Revolution Society's Minneapolis Project 2010 and Dance Film Project 2010.

Tomorrow (2010)

John Koch — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:07:47 GMT

A woman goes on a first date in a popular Uptown Minneapolis restaurant, with unexpected results. Created for Cinema Revolution Society's Minneapolis Project 2010.

Overflow (2010)

John Koch — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:05:27 GMT

Vanessa Voskuil (concept/choreographer/performer/editor), John Koch (cinematographer/editor). With a surrealist twist, "Overflow" is a meditation on love and surrender. Inspired by the writings of Hafiz (c. 1320-1389). Created for Cinema Revolution Society's Dance Film Project 2010

The Apple Tree (2009)

John Koch — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:20:45 GMT

John Koch created the video design for this piece which was part of the Walker Art Center's "Momentum" dance series in 2009. Sachiko Nishiuchi's dance theater work employs the riotous lens of flamenco to evoke the illusive “springtime of life,” as well as the tragic classifications people use to alienate themselves from one another. Loosely based on John Galsworthy’s 1916 romance novel The Apple Tree, as well as personal experiences, she mines flamenco’s various expressions of emotionality to tell the characters’ stories and chart the paths of their sentiments. The multimedia elements of this evocative performance are highlighted by local guitarist Ben Abrahamson’s original score, with vocals by celebrated flamenco performer La Conja. The video design incorporated two overlapping 10 foot high translucent scrims that spanned the width of the Southern's proscenium archway. The scrims represented the boundary between fantasy and reality, with performers interacting with the video both behind and emerging in front.

en masse (2009)

John Koch — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:12:15 GMT

John Koch and Vanessa Voskuil created the video design for this piece which was part of the Walker Art Center's "Momentum" dance series in 2009. Performed by a cast of 80, "en masse" grapples with the collective animal power of the masses working in perpetual conflict against itself toward an elusive, undiscovered harmony. Choreographer Vanessa Voskuil, a cofounder of Live Action Set, bringstogether a physical style of storytelling with a surrealist sensibility, translating simple movements into an impressionistic texture of human experience. The piece involved three video projectors covering the entire back and side walls of the Southern Theater to give an immersive sensory effect. 20 foot high figures circled the space, chaotic bursts of light emerged from the darkness, and the walls of the theater literally shook.

video: en masse - introductory sequence

throne/thrown (2008)

John Koch — Tue, 26 May 2009 06:51:40 GMT

Conceptualized by choreographer/director [url=http://www.vanessavoskuil.org/]Vanessa Voskuil[/url] and filmmaker John Koch. Taking its impetus from W.B. Yeats' poem "The Second Coming," "throne/thrown" explores the search for the position in one's life by which to conduct one's authority over it. Directed and conceived by Vanessa Voskuil (2006 Sage Award for Outstanding Design) and John Koch (writer/director of "Je Ne Sais Quoi" and Cinema Revolution founder), "throne/thrown" strives to create a frenetic, visually compelling, and cinematically moving experience. Shot in HDV video. Click [url=http://www.vimeo.com/3858061]here[/url] to view the film online.

Your Dynamic Eyes Have Attracted a Secret Admirer (2006)

John Koch — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:32:34 GMT

Part of the Fortune Cookie Film Project and titled after a randomly chosen fortune from a fortune cookie, the film follows two co-workers on a walk by a lake on a beautiful sunny day. One chooses the moment to profess his romantic feelings for the other, much to her chagrin. Shot in MiniDV. Click [url=http://www.vimeo.com/3867129]here[/url] to view the film online.

Vanessa, Type O Positive (1999)

John Koch — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:09:54 GMT

A teenage girl is kidnapped in rural Minnesota and waits and contemplates her fate in a dark silent room. She recollects her life, and revisits her hopes for the future, all the time wondering what will happen to her and if she will make it out alive. Shot in 16mm black and white film.

Je ne sais quoi (2008)

John Koch — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:07:44 GMT

This is a story of the mysterious force that fuels attraction and desire, success and vitality, that elusive 'je ne sais quoi'. Some have it, some don't, and Paul, an unpredictable loner, falls into the latter category. A frustrated creative living a dead end life, Paul is at odds with everything in his environment and with himself. When he reaches out to Anna, a seemingly kindred spirit who lives across the hall, could things be changing for him? With a distinctive sharp wit and visual expression, the film explores the complexities of 21st century relationships and the fine line between acceptance of others and settling for less. The film is inspired by diverse works, such as Mike Leigh's 'Naked', Eric Rohmer's 'Six Moral Tales', Jean Eustache's 'The Mother and the Whore' and Hirokazu Kore-eda's 'Nobody Knows'. Written and directed by first-time feature director John Koch, the film also features the talents of two individuals who are award-winning filmmakers in their own right. Lead actor Dave Andrae, who plays the role of Paul, won the 'Best Experimental Film' award at the 8th Boston Underground Film Festival, and also participated in the Berlinale Talent Campus at the Berlin Film Festival in 2006. Greg Yolen, the film's cinematographer, won a Kodak Vision Award at Slamdance for his camera work on the award winning train-hopping documentary 'Long Gone'. The film is shot on DVCPRO50 video, and features an unconventional visual style, experimenting with color, selective focus, and unorthodox framing and editing.

A Hand For Paulina (2005)

John Koch — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:06:31 GMT

A short film about a young girl trying to find her path in life and come to terms with her own limitations. Convinced that she will spend the rest her of life wearing mittens, she longs for the day when she could have real hands, dreaming of how much easier her life would be, not realizing that all she has to do is take the mittens off. Shot in MiniDV.

Headcleaner (2001)

John Koch — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:03:40 GMT

A short experimental film about a woman cautiously trying to date again, plagued by the persisting memories of an abusive relationship. Shot in 16mm black and white film.