Gray Area Grand Theater: Jordan Belson: COSMOGENESIS

Float into COSMOGENESIS, a weekend-long journey of transcendental films, lectures, and live performances celebrating the visionary art and cosmic cinema of Jordan Belson.

Presented in partnership with SF Cinematheque and BAMPFA.

Jordan Belson (1926-2011) was a San Francisco-based artist and abstract cinematic filmmaker. Over six decades he created sublime, spiritually oriented films, referred to as “Cosmic Cinema” by theorist Gene Youngblood in his 1972 book Expanded Cinema. His films are influenced by many subjects including yoga, Buddhism, mandalas, Indian holy men, Tibetan mysticism, theosophy, Egyptology, Rosicrucianism, Kabbalah, Jung, magic, Tantra, alchemy, symbolism, astronomy, Japanese mon design, Arabic patterns, optical phenomena, and science imagery.

From 1957 – 59, Belson collaborated with electronic music pioneer Henry Jacobs on the late night series Vortex: Experiments in Sound and Light at San Francisco’s Morrison Planetarium, an early antecedent of today’s “immersive experiences”, using 30-channels of projection and surround sound.

This program includes screenings of rarely seen, newly preserved 16mm films and selected digital preservations from the archive in collaboration with the Belson Estate and curator Raymond Foye.

Program Overview

9/26
7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
Aspects of Enchantment with Erik Davis, featuring Belson Film Screenings
Conversation with writer Erik Davis and screenings of six visionary Belson films on 16mm.

9/27
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Listening Room
Belson’s autoharp music, archival interviews, and immersive projections.
2:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Light Structures with L u m i a
Lecture and screenings on Belson’s major 1970s works with archivist L u m i a.
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
The Archival Impermanence Project
Ross Lipman & Isabella Scaffidi on restoring Belson’s films in the digital age.
7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
The VORTEX Legacy with Doug McKechnie
Moog pioneer revisits Belson’s iconic VORTEX concerts with live sound and film.

9/28
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Listening Room
Second program of Belson’s music, interviews, and projections with new content.
2:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Filmic Beatitudes with Brecht Andersch
Exploring the Beat film scene with screenings including Maclaine’s The End.
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
The Visual Art of Jordan Belson with Raymond Foye
Illustrated lecture on Belson’s little-seen paintings, kinetic sculptures, and drawings.
7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Jordan Belson Film Screenings
Screening of newly preserved 16mm films and selected digital preservations from the archive.