On Campus News
School of Visual Arts Celebrates the Opening and Dedication of the SVA Theatre
By Staff
posted Aug 24, 2009, 21:14
SVA will celebrate
the opening of the SVA Theatre on Wednesday, September 16, 2009...
(New York, NY) Following top-to-bottom renovations that transformed a former
first-run movie house into a state-of-the-art facility for artist talks, film
screenings and other cultural events, the School of Visual Arts (SVA) will celebrate
the opening of the SVA Theatre on Wednesday, September 16, 2009. The theater’s
new design is the work of world-renowned designer Milton Glaser and features
what may be the city’s largest kinetic sculpture atop the theater’s
marquee.
Glaser, who is best known as the creator of the “I?NY” logo and
co-founder of New York magazine, based his design for the 18-feet-high structure
on Tatlin’s Tower, the iconic monument to the Russian Revolution proposed
by visionary architect Vladimir Tatlin in 1920 and now considered one of the
great objects of Russian Constructivism. Glaser’s colorful homage consists
of three metal cylinders that sit atop the marquee and rotate at hourly intervals
like an abstract timepiece. Expanding on the theme of time, the marquee is ringed
by a zipper sign that will display quotations about the passage of time by historic
figures from Albert Einstein to Ronald Reagan.
The opening festivities pay tribute to Tatlin and the artistic movements of
the early 20th century with a program of film masterworks by Yakov Protazanov,
Dziga Vertov, H.G. Wells, Fernand Leger and Man Ray. The screenings will take
place from 12 - 5pm; admission is free and open to the public. The SVA Theatre
is located at 333 West 23 Street in New York City.
There will be a presentation, dedication ceremony--featuring the lighting of
the marquee sculpture--and reception for invited guests from 7 - 9:30pm. Press
seats are available at 212.592.2010.
Film Screenings
Times are approximate.
12pm
Things to Come (William Cameron Menzies, 1936; 100 minutes)
One of the earliest science fiction films dealing with the then-future world
of the late of the 20th Century, featuring a script on which H.G. Wells collaborated
and dazzling Constructivist design.
1:45pm
Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov, 1929; 68 minutes)
Directed by the most famous realist filmmaker of his era, a silent heavily influenced
by Soviet montage which presents a remarkable picture of everyday life in the
newly-created Soviet state.
3pm
Aelita: Queen of Mars (Yakov Protazanov, 1927; 100 minutes)
A landmark early silent Soviet science-fiction film made in the Constructivist
style, which tells the story of a Russian scientist who travels to Mars and
aids in a workers revolution on the “Red” planet.
4:45pm
A selection of shorts by Fernand Leger and Man Ray
During the silent era, France produced a remarkable body of short experimental
films which mirrored artistic movements of the time. Many were made by the same
artists who led those movements and in the same spirit as the Soviet Constructivist
films.
The SVA Theatre is a state-of-the-art facility for the presentation of lectures,
film screenings and performances at the School of Visual Arts, New York. In
addition to class meetings and cultural programs organized by the College, the
theater hosts myriad events produced by cultural organizations and community
groups whose work is consistent with the College’s mission. The 20,000-square-foot
space houses two separate auditoriums, one with 480 seats and the other with
265, that are equipped with the latest in lighting, sound and projection capabilities.
School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City is an established leader and innovator
in the education of artists. From its inception in 1947, the faculty has been
comprised of professionals working in the arts and art-related fields. SVA provides
an environment that nurtures creativity, inventiveness and experimentation,
enabling students to develop a strong sense of identity and a clear direction
of purpose.
www.schoolofvisualarts.edu
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