Witchbeam

Vincent Gallo in Brian Butler's Night of Pan

I’m really excited, Temple of Pei is putting out a split C30 cassette tape between Brian Butler and Virginal Volcanoes in a couple of weeks. “Technicians of the Divine Vol. 2.” Stay tuned. In the meantime, if I lived in southern California I would check this out, and I here’s to hoping that Brian brings it to NYC sometime soon:

Brian Butler’s Night of Pan Premiers in LA at Projections Festival, January 16 at Roberts & Tilton

Los Angeles, CA – Noted filmmaker, artist and musician Brian Butler (www.brianbutler.com) will premier his short film, “Night of Pan” in Los Angeles on January 16 at 7:30pm at the opening of Projections, a festival of rare and hard to see films including other directors such as Spike Jones, Harmony Korine, Jean-Luc Goddard, and Miranda July. Projections was curated by Aaron Rose an artist, film director, writer, musician, and independent curator most noted as the co-curator of the successful museum exhibition and book Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art & Street Culture which toured the world through 2008.

Projections takes place at the Roberts & Tilton Gallery, 5801 Washington Boulevard, between La Cienega Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, in Culver City, California from January 16 – February 20, 2010. In addition to screening on January 16, “Night of Pan” will also be screened in a loop at the gallery on February 18, 2010.

“Night of Pan” is a seven and a half minute film featuring film auteur Kenneth Anger and actor Vincent Gallo. The film has been screened in various versions internationally – Beijing, Lisbon, Cannes, Athens, Rome, Berlin and elsewhere, but never in Butler’s base, Los Angeles.

In the film, Anger, Gallo, and Butler depict an occult ritual that symbolizes the stage of ego death in the process of spiritual attainment.

Brian Butler is a multidisciplinary artist who creates works around dark magical themes. He had worked extensively as a producer on director Kenneth Anger’s recent work. Additionally he has written for Dazed & Confused and performs along with Anger in the band Technicolor Skull.

About Projections, Aaron Rose notes, “There are few things that move people as much as seeing a great film. As the organizer of this festival I use the term “film” loosely here as I do the word “festival”, because in this context, I do not necessarily refer only to feature films. In fact some of the most inspiring films I’ve ever seen have been under five minutes long. Projections is a celebration of these types of works. While the focus of this collection is mostly on young filmmakers, I have also chosen to include some masters from the past who, for many reasons, have created things that have moved me in some way. Additionally, it is my hope that by removing all these films from their usual theatrical setting, and instead presenting them in an art gallery context, that people will perhaps look at them a little differently. Not just as entertainment, but as the works of true artists, who contribute greatly to the visual culture of our times.”

Speaking of Mr. Butler, check out Loch Ness Magick -