Paul Sharits

A notable of American avant-garde cinema of the 1960s and 70s, Sharits was a key figure in the movement which came to be known as « structural film ». Fascinated by the physical properties of the filmstrip, its development and projection, Sharits made a series of films which explored the boundaries of physical perception. Flicker effects, loop printing, use of multiple projectors and bright, rapidly changing colors form a part of the repertory of Sharits’ films, whose imagery ranges from the abstract and painterly to the concrete, violent and photographic. His earlier, more visually assaultive films include « Ray Gun Virus » (1966), « N:O:T:H:I:N:G » (1968), « T*O*U*C*H*I*N*G » (1969) and « S:TREAM:S:S:ECTION:S:ECTION:S:S:ECTIONED » (1971). The later, more « scientific » efforts include his « Analytical Studies » series of the mid-70s. Sharits helped establish experimental filmmaking programs at a number of US colleges and universities, and taught at SUNY Buffalo for nearly two decades. Some of his finest work is housed in the collections of the Anthology Film Archives and at a number of important museums and libraries in America and Europe.