In memory of Trish Keenan

14 January 2011

A Pioneer of Abstract Animation

Synchromy No.2 (1936)

Mary Ellen Bute made 'visual music'. Between 1934 and 1953, she made fourteen short abstract, musical, animated films in collaboration with Joseph Schillinger and, later, with Ted Nemeth, who would become her husband. Many of these films were screened before a feature movie at Radio City Hall in New York. Bute was a founding member of the Women's Independent Film Exchange.
Bute died practically penniless in 1983, sacrificing all for her art.

A short documentary about Mary Ellen Bute

Miriam O'Reilly Wins!

Miriam O'Reilly, the 53-year-old ex-BBC presenter, today won an employment tribunal against the BBC on the grounds of ageism and sexism. O'Reilly was dropped for younger presenters on the show 'Country File' when it moved to the prime-time. As she rightly says, the outcome has, 'implications for all broadcasters, not just the BBC'.

Let's hope this means that older women will stop disappearing from our TV screens.

Vivian Maier, Discovered

Vivian Maier, Self Portrait

John Maloof bought a box of negatives and unprocessed rolls of film at an auction and what was inside was a document of Chicago's streets and World travels by an aloof French emigre. There are over 100,000 images that Maloof is currently processing, scanning and archiving. You can follow his blog here. Maier died in 2009, before Maloof could talk to her about her photography.

Thanks to Helen, Paul and Pina for finding this!