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kottke.org posts about Koyaanisqatsi

The Alvin and the Chipmunks Version of Koyaanisqatsi

Koyaanisqatsi, featuring Alvin and the Chipmunks

This album cover was tweeted out the other day by Philip Glass’s official account with no additional comment. What really makes it IMO is the song titles listed at the bottom of the cover: Those Speedy Clouds, Escalators of Death, Run For It…Rockets Are Exploding All Over the Place!

I tried to track down who made this, but the only other instance I could find online was on Philip Glass’s Instagram exactly one year ago. Koyaanisqatsi is a serious work of art โ€” it’s refreshing to see how playful Glass is about its representation. You could imagine other artists/musicians not being so chill about it.

Update: Aha, designer Cris Shapan made this. (via @jdpbbank)

Update: Here’s a short snippet of what this album might sound like.


Philip Glass on Soul Train

It turns out that the fourth track off of Philip Glass’ soundtrack for Koyaanisqatsi matches up pretty well to the dancers in this clip from Soul Train.

I don’t know whether to like this or hate it. Actually, I think I love it. See also Soul Train dancers backed by Daft Punk. (via @tedgioia)


Koyaanisqatsi Made with Animated GIFs

Koyaanisqatsi is a 1982 experimental film by Godfrey Reggio with a soundtrack from Philip Glass. The movie has no dialogue or narrative and mainly features slow motion and time lapse footage of nature, technology, and cities.

Rico Monkeon has built a tool called Gifaanisqatsi that constructs the trailer for Koyaanisqatsi using a random assortment of slow motion and time lapse animated GIFs from Giphy. The trailer you get is different each time. You can compare it to the actual trailer.

I wondered how easy it would be to make an internet version using random Giphy ‘gifs’ which have been tagged as slow motion or time-lapse, playing them along with the Philip Glass soundtrack.

I *love* this and have watched at least 5 or 6 different trailers now…the slow motion cats and dogs are best. I recorded one of the trailers it generated for me:

I miiiiight just want to watch a feature-length version of this accompanied by the full soundtrack.


Koyaanisqatsi Trailer Recreated Using Stock Footage

Koyannistocksi is a shot-by-shot remake of the trailer for Godfrey Reggio’s Koyaanisqatsi using only stock footage.

A testament to Reggio’s influence on contemporary motion photography, and the appropriation of his aesthetic by others for commercial means.

(via @waxpancake)


Wii music turns Koyaanisqatsi jaunty

In this clip from Koyaanisqatsi, Andy Kelly replaced Philip Glass’ score with music from the Wii Shop Channel. As he notes, the movie doesn’t seem quite as haunting now. (via @daveg)


Koyaanisqatsi out on Criterion Blu-ray in December

Speaking of Koyaanisqatsi, the Criterion Collection is releasing Godfrey Reggio’s Qatsi trilogy on Blu-ray in December. It’s the first time that the Qatsis will be available in HD in the US.

ps. Criterion is also releasing Blu-ray editions of Brazil and Following, which is Christopher Nolan’s first feature-length film.


8-Bit Koyaanisqatsi

The final song from Koyaanisqatsi, remade in 8-bit audio (aka chiptune).

Philip Glass works pretty well in chiptune.


Koyaanisqatsi In Five Minutes

Wyatt Hodgson took Koyaanisqatsi and sped it up 1552% so you can watch the whole movie in about five minutes.

Reggio uses time lapse in the film to great effect โ€” you notice different things at different playback speeds โ€” and Hodgson’s clever use of the same technique reveals the overall structure of the film much more than watching it in realtime…but the emotion of the film is completely removed. (via the candler blog)


Koyaanisqatsi

Saw Koyaanisqatsi last night (with great seats), accompanied by the New York Philharmonic and the Philip Glass Ensemble…Glass played one of the emsemble’s two keyboards. It was really fantastic.

KOYAANISQATSI, [Godfrey] Reggio’s debut as a film director and producer, is the first film of the QATSI trilogy. The title is a Hopi Indian word meaning “life out of balance.” Created between 1975 and 1982, the film is an apocalyptic vision of the collision of two different worlds โ€” urban life and technology versus the environment. The musical score was composed by Philip Glass.

The entire film is available on both YouTube and Hulu.


Koyaanisqatsi live performances in NYC

The New York Philharmonic, joined by Philip Glass himself, will perform the score for Koyaanisqatsi while the film is projected on a screen above the stage.

Lose yourself in Philip Glass’s powerful music for the 1982 Godfrey Reggio film Koyaanisqatsi: A Life Out Of Balance, performed live by the Philharmonic and the Philip Glass Ensemble, as the landmark film is projected on a huge screen above the Avery Fisher Hall stage.

There will be two performances, Nov 2 and Nov 3 at 7:30pm at Avery Fisher Hall. There are still tons of great seats available, but get ‘em while you can. Excited!


Koyaaniskottke

I dusted off my Vimeo account to post a test video in HD from the Kodak Zi6, the pocket-sized HD video camera (now shipping from Kodak).

Looking west down 42nd Street. Taken with the pocket-sized Kodak Zi-6 from Park Avenue, the part that’s elevated and goes around Grand Central. Music by Philip Glass from Koyaanisqatsi. It’s amazing how good Glass’ music is that some schlub can take a video of a busy Manhattan street using a pocket-sized camera and it comes out feeling like it’s a clip from the film. Leitmotif, anyone?

Came out looking pretty good. The major issue I have so far with the Zi6 is the lack of image stabilization…it’s pretty jittery, even with a steady hand. But it was $180 and it fits in my pocket so I can’t complain too much.


Koyaanisqatsi

This is my favorite scene from Koyaanisqatsi.

Unaware at first of the camera, she sees it. Then smiles almost imperceptibly and turns away. Then self-consciously looks everywhere but at the camera. And finally, a last contemptous peek at the camera.

Update: Sorry, the video is not available outside of the US.


Ten minute clip from the movie Baraka.

Ten minute clip from the movie Baraka. From Wikipedia: “Often compared to Koyaanisqatsi, Baraka’s subject matter has some similarities โ€” including footage of various landscapes, churches, ruins, religious ceremonies, and cities thrumming with life, filmed using time-lapse photography in order to capture the great pulse of humanity as it flocks and swarms in daily activity.” (via long now)