VIDEO ART
JEN DELYTh
Page 6
Celtic Folk Soul – short video animation by Jen Delyth – with music by Christine Gunn on cello. Sequences collaged from “Beyond the Ninth Wave” DVD project.
In 1999 it became possible for artists to create complex multilayered films in their home studio.
Using the most contemporary of tools back in the very beginning days of digital video – Delyth weaves together ancient poetry, with art, music and film.
“This was real Celtic “magic” for me as an artist – to create spiraling ancient patterns in continual motion – through filmed elemental glimpses of the natural world – brought my creativity to another level. I began to make animated celtic art – 20th century style!“
Short video animation ” SONG – The Weight of the World is Love” by Jen Delyth ©1989-2015
Spoken Word by Chris Chandler – “Song” by Allen Ginsberg – ”Old Mountain Thyme” (trad) – performed by David Rovics (vocals and guitar) and Samantha Parton (harmony vocals).
DVD “Beyond the Ninth Wave” available for purchase –
Being a self-taught photographer with her own darkroom for many years, film making was a natural progression for Delyth. In 1999 she began her journey into video, animation and music.
Early in 1999 Delyth had the idea to make an interactive Celtic Art & Poetry “book” – with moving images and sound.
“Using a program called Macromedia Director on my little Mac – I made a CD ROM – “Beyond the Ninth Wave” – to present Celtic Art, Myth and Poetry – with dissolving slideshow images, music, text and interacting menu buttons – in a less static – and truly contemporary– way than a traditional printed book”.
“It was time consuming, but inspiring to put the new technology to work.
But then just when it was completed and preparing for publication – it became apparent that all was changing fast, and CD roms would soon be a thing of the past. I was pretty devastated after so much time and work”.
Beyond the Ninth Wave - DVD
A visit to the Apple expo in 1999 in downtown San Francisco – showcased the new video and dvd software for the mac – Final Cut Pro – and DVD Studio Pro 1.0 were launched.
Delyth immediately shelved the CD rom, bought a new computer with Final Cut and DVD Studio Pro, and re-created her interactive story book “Beyond the Ninth Wave” as a DVD, with video, animation, music, and interactive menus.
Delyth was one of the very first artists to use this software.
More learning, work and creative inspiration followed.
“The acquisition of a digital video camera – to film elements from nature, birds and leaves, and moons and ocean – and to collage that with my Celtic artwork, was really exciting.
“I think our cell phones can make higher resolution video today – and those early digital video cameras were very expensive! – but back in 1999 it was pretty cool to video in digital format, bring footage directly into the computer, and work with Final Cut Studio.
“And back to my photographer roots!”
MUSICAL JOURNEY
“Back in my youth, I loved a psychedelic mythic “jazz” band called “GONG“.
Innovative poet musicians Daevid Allen and Gilli Smythe – were a big inspiration for me, and Gilli’s performance work often drew from her Welsh roots – that I of course shared.
Daevid Allen was an extraordinary mythic man and musician – and in its way Gong was my introduction to jazz – European psychedelic style!”.
In 1999 – Jen reached out to Welsh poet-performer Gilli Smythe – now living in Australia – and recorded her unique and “space whisper” vocals for the poetry collage sound track for “Beyond the Ninth Wave”.
“First I recorded Gilli’s spoken word – including ancient Celtic Poetry, and evocative vocal sound “whispers”.
Next my mother Mair recited some ancient poetry by Taliesin in the original welsh language.
Then I reached out to musician friends for permission to collage small sections of their recorded music with the poetry – and collaged them together to create a new set of compositions for the DVD sound track”.
“Another inspiring creative journey began using the new tools available to home studio artists like myself”.
Music was collaged from Silver Arm – a traditional Celtic band with good friend – fellow Celtic painter Cindy Matyi, Aryeh Frankfurter – multi- instrumentalist and harpist, Michael Masley – innovative hammer dulimer and multi instrumentalist, with some saxophone by partner Scott Silverberg, and voice recordings by Jen.
Jen recorded Gilli in her home studio in San Francisco – with a simple Mackie sound board, a couple of pro mikes, and some new audio editing software – DECK – among the earliest pieces of non-linear digital audio editing workstation software available for the Mac.
This was the beginning of Jen’s personal hobby with recording music that she still enjoys doing today.
CELTIC ANIMATION
It was an exciting and creative period. San Francisco was still a thriving artist’s town – fueled now by experimentation with the new technologies for video and collage work made accessible to artists through the new Macintosh computer systems.
Experiments with vector animation techniques with early versions of “Commotion” and Adobe After Effects” – Version 1.0… led to some very late nights, and long hours.
The results were magical and inspiring – compelling experimentation – using composite layers, and weaving herons filmed at local marshes, with crystaline water, moon and shifting skies – with spiraling Celtic artwork, and kaleidoscope patterns.
These were all created from scratch – no handy plugins or quick methods available as there are today.
It was back breaking work at times – with the early computers being quite limited and slow…
Jen’s multi-layered complex composited images – up to 40 or more layers of high resolution animation, art, and video – needed rendering each night to see the results in the morning.
“I was a proud member of the small but growing group of pioneering artists creating work in their home studios, that previously would have needed full scale industry operations.
San Francisco was ground zero – with Silicon Valley just up the Bay – and I was one of the few women interacting on the new internet forums with the techie guys – figuring it all out together”
BALD TIRE PRODUCTIONS
Jumping ahead a decade to 2009 – Jen met Chris Chandler – American story teller, poet and performer.
Together they formed a creative partnership – moved from San Francisco across the bridge to Oakland – and “Ninth Wave Publishing LLC” was set up to manage both of their artistic careers.
Chandler was also experimenting with video art projects at the time, so together they collaborated – often into the wee hours as “Bald Tire Productions” – making creative short videos for both Chandler’s performance work – and for fellow musicians to post on their web sites.
Here’s their cute “Bald Tire Productions” animated production “logo”!
THRIFT STORE DIVA
“Here is one of my favorites – simple but sweet – “Thrift Store Diva”
Made 2010 Oakland Ca – by Delyth and Chandler.
Written by Chris Chandler and Phil Rockstroh ©1996
Performed by Chris Chandler, David Rovics, Samantha Parton, and Oliver Steck
DVD “Beyond the Ninth Wave” available for purchase –
Design - Publishing - Licensing
Oakland California
Ninth Wave Publishing LLC
JEN DELYTH
ARTIST, AUTHOR, DESIGNER
Since 1987, artist Jen Delyth has illustrated and designed a wide range of books, textile products, stationary.
Celtic Art Studio is HOME STUDIO SITE of Jen Delyth – and Celtic Mythic Line
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The Horse was loved and worshipped by the Celtic people. Horses decorate bronze, gold and silver objects as creatures of grace, intelligence and beauty. Horses also serve as solar symbols, embodying the sun’s divine qualities of strength and fertility – and golden Celtic Coins were often minted with images of the Horse, and solar symbols such as the wheel..
