While in Chicago to work on a special Lampo project, artist Carl Michael von Hausswolff screens two films for the first time in the United States:

In Hashima (2002) 30 min., directors von Hausswolff and Thomas Nordanstad present a documentary about Hashima Island in Japan.

“Seen from a distance, Hashima Island might be mistaken for the Japanese counterpart of Alcatraz rising from the ocean like a ragged slab of concrete, or perhaps a gambling resort with deserted hotels. Few casual observers would ever guess that, only 40 years ago, this tiny island was the site of a thriving community with the highest population density on earth.”

Pan Sonic Plays Kurenniemi (2002) 59 min. is a live concert film—a performance and tribute to Finnish artist Erkki Kurenniemi and his unique handmade instruments, including the DIMI-A (1969), DIMI-S (1972), Andromatic (1968) and Electric Quartet (1968). Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen with special guests Carl Michael von Hausswolff and Erkki Kurenniemi, directed by Mika Taanila.

“Erkki Kurenniemi is one of the great unsung pioneers of electronic art. He is a nuclear scientist, inventor and artist, whose projects and ideas have been surprisingly ahead of their times. He is best known as a designer of unique electronic instruments at Helsinki University’s Department of Music during the 1960s. He subsequently had an impressive career as a pioneer of industrial automation at Rosenlew in the 70s, an automation designer in Nokia’s cable division in the early 80s, and as head of exhibition planning at the Heureka Science Centre in 1987-1999.”