PHOTOS from VISUAL ALCHEMY   1972 - 1987

'Archaeological digs in the personal image archives'
click enlarge - Visual Alchemy - Al Razutis studio through window 1973

If you're looking for corporate office digs, leased furniture and praphic repros on the walls, you've come to the wrong place. No corporate profiles or head shots here; no group pictures, and certainly a lot of weird hand-built machines for imaging the imagination. No million-dollar art co-op digs here, not like Western Front, Video In, Videographe, etc. all funded by state cultural largesse. This was an independent studio in Vancouver B.C. for works by Al Razutis - depicted here from the early 70's. Interaction with other artists and their projects was a natural activity. Here, the first holograms, optical printer, video synthesizer, and other technologies, media courses, film image-exchange library were built and offered in Vancouver. These technologies built by Razutis (and acknowledged others) joined a personal curriculum or Tesla-alchemical-beyondmerephysical interests best described as 'Visual Alchemy', 1972-1978, and incorporated. In more academic environments (SFU - 1978-1987) Razutis and 'Visual Alchemy' took on expressedly political interests in his film arts and expressions, as per examples below.

Related topics:

Illustrated Film - Video Archives
          'Holographic History at Visual Alchemy'           'Holographic Intentions' (and Plato's Cave') at Visual Alchemy


Holographic history - photos:

STUDIO & HOLOGRAMS 1972 - 1978   -   HOLOGRAMS & EXHIBITIONS 1980 - 1988   -   HOLOGRAM & EXHIBITION 1990's


VISUAL ALCHEMY STUDIO HISTORY IN PHOTOS:

click enlarge Al Razutis at Visual Alchemy 1976
Al Razutis at Visual Alchemy 1976

click enlarge Visual Alchemy circa 1974 exterior view Granville Island Vancouver  - under Granville St. Bridge showing main entrances
VISUAL ALCHEMY - Street View 1975
click enlarge - Al Razutis in Visual Alchemy studio 1976 Vancouver
VISUAL ALCHEMY - Entrance rm. - 1976
click enlarge to different view - Visual Alchemy Studio - hologram processing 1976
VISUAL ALCHEMY - Chem. rm.- 1976
click enlarge Visual Alchemy circa 1974 interior view  showing office entrance
VISUAL ALCHEMY - Office entrance
click enlarge Visual Alchemy circa 1974 interior view  showing entrance room - projection room
VISUAL ALCHEMY - Entrance room
click enlarge Visual Alchemy circa 1974 interior view  showing  silvered projection screen for 3D
VISUAL ALCHEMY - Silvered screen
click enlarge Visual Alchemy circa 1974 interior view  showing video quantizer racks with monitors 1975
VISUAL ALCHEMY - Video quantizer
click enlarge Visual Alchemy circa 1974 interior view  showing entrance room - projection room
VISUAL ALCHEMY - Film animation stand
click enlarge Visual Alchemy circa 1976 hologramdeveloping roomroom - projection room
VISUAL ALCHEMY -Hologram developing
click enlarge Al Razutis Visual Alchemy 1974
Al Razutis self portrait 1974
click enlarge Visual Alchemy circa 1974 interior view  showing video quantizer racks with monitors 1975
VISUAL ALCHEMY - Holography lab 1974
click enlarge Al Razutis at Visual Alchemy 1976
Al Razutis at Visual Alchemy 1976


16mm FILM OPTICAL PRINTER:

Custom constructed in stages by Al Razutis 1970 - 1974, this film printer was unique (one of a kind) in Vancouver early 70's.
Between 1970 - 77 the optical printer was used in films by Razutis (and K. Tougas, D. Rimmer, and others),
including 'Visual Essays' and 'Amerika' by Al Razutis

click to enlarge 16mm FILM OPTICAL PRINTER - constructed by Razutis - 1972-1974
1974 Film Optical printer and light box by Razutis
at Visual Alchemy

click to enlarge 16mm FILM OPTICAL PRINTER - constructed by Razutis - 1972-1974
1974 Film Optical printer and control unit by Razutis at Visual Alchemy

click to enlarge 16mm FILM ANIMATION STAND - OPTICAL PRINTER - constructed by Razutis - 1970
1970 Film Animation Stand & Optical printer by Razutis at home studio


'FELIX' ANALOG VIDEO SYNTHESIZER - 1974-76:

Custom constructed in stages by Al Razutis & Jim Armstrong - 1974-76.
Videosynthesizer was unique (one of a kind)in Canada mid 70's.
See 'History of Felix' for detailed information on this creation.
Click enlargeage  VISUAL ALCHEMY STUDIO 1974 - Moog and Felix  audio - video synthesizers
Click enlargeage ANALOG VIDEO SYNTHESIZER - 'FELIX' Razutis/Armstrong - 1974-
Visual Alchemy Studio 1974 with Moog Synthesizer and Canada's first Analog Video Synthesizer used in art - 'Felix'
A. Razutis /J. Armstrong - 1974 - 1976

See creations that used this synthesizer: 'Videographics'
(Film-Video 'HYBRIDS' created using optical printer / synthesizer)

'SYNAPSE' -- BIO-FEEDBACK VIDEO PERFORMANCE - 1976:

See description of video performance created using synthesizer: 'Synapse'
click for page on SYNAPSE - BIO-FEEDBACK VIDEO PERFORMANCE - 1976 by Al Razutis

Bio-feedback video performance with FELIX synthesizer and EEG - ECG bio-monitors broadcast live on Channel 10 TV in 1976 by Al Razutis



EARLY HOLOGRAPHY - VISUAL ALCHEMY - 1972-4:

The first holographic arts laboratory in Canada - 1972-1977 - created by Al Razutis
Between 1972 - 77 the lab was used in the creation of a travelling holographic art exhibit 'Visual Alchemy'.
See 'Detailed History of Holographic Art at Visual Alchemy' for history texts.
click for photo galleries on early holography at VISUAL ALCHEMY - Al Razutis
Click on collage graphic or click VISUAL ALCHEMY HOLOGRAPHY to enter photo galleries.
click to enlarge - Visual Alchemy 1978 site after demolition
The end of Visual Alchemy Vancouver 1978

'PEOPLE'S WALL & AMERIKA' POLITICS AND STREET ART:


Al Razutis in East Vancouver  'people's wall' 1983 - click for enlargement with newspaper article Vancouver Sun
Film frame from 'AMERIKA' by Al Razutis with filml logo 1983
Film frame from 'AMERIKA' by Al Razutis - Poster of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher burning on wall

POLITICS - STREET - FILM ART
East Vancouver 'People's Wall' - Razutis 1983 - Newspaper Story - Vancouver Sun - 'AMERIKA' film frames

'AMERIKA' - 1972 - 1983 (3 hrs. film)


clickfor 'AMERIKA' 3-screen photos - film by Al Razutis

'AMERIKA' - 1972-1983 - Independently funded - no grants - avant-garde film by Al Razutis

FILM CATALOG DESCRIPTION - photos & video clip



THE WILDWEST SHOW - A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR - 'AMERIKA':


click for page on 'Wildwest Show by Al  Razutis
click for page on 'Wildwest Show by Al  Razutis
click for page on A Message from Our Sponsor  by Al  Razutis

'THE WILDWEST SHOW' & 'A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR' - 'AMERIKA' (1972-1983)
Some of the films that brought down the Ontario Board of Censors



'OPSIS'

JOURNAL OF AVANT-GARDE AND POLITICAL CINEMA (1984-85):

click to enlarge COVER FOR 'OPSIS' VOLUME ONE NUMBER 1 - 1983
click to enlarge CONTENT PAGE FOR 'OPSIS' VOLUME ONE NUMBER 1 - 1983
click enlarge OPSIS VOL. 1 NO.2-3 COVER
click enlarge OPSIS VOL. 1 NO.2-3 CONTENTS PAGE

COVER and CONTENTS pages for 'OPSIS' Vol 1. No. 1 - 1983, Vol. 1. No.2/3 - 1984-5
The Canadian Journal of Avant-Garde and Political Cinema

SELECTED ARTICLES from OPSIS re-published on the web


Related topics:

Illustrated Film - Video Archives
          'Holographic History at Visual Alchemy'           'Holographic Intentions' (and Plato's Cave') at Visual Alchemy


[   TOP OF PAGE  ]

Additional PHOTO Galleries:

STUDIO & HOLOGRAMS 1972 - 1978

HOLOGRAMS & EXHIBITIONS 1980 - 1988

HOLOGRAM & EXHIBITION 1990's

'REFLECTIONS ON WAVEFRONT'

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