Wind Vane

United Kingdom

1972

8 Min

Color

None

Currently 2.7/5 Stars.
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DIR Chris Welsby

Synopsis

The location for this film is the western end of Hampstead Heath in London. Two cameras mounted on tripods with wind vane attachments were positioned about 50 feet apart along an axis of 45 degrees to the direction of the wind. Both cameras were free to pan through 360 degrees in the horizontal plane. There are three continuous 100 foot takes for each screen. The movements of the two cameras, which were filming simultaneously, were controlled by the wind strength and direction. The sound was recorded synchronously with the picture track and consists mainly of wind noise. Each screen has its own soundtrack when projected. —sfu.ca

Director

Chris Welsby

Chris Welsby was born in 1948. He studied at Central School of Art, Chelsea School of Art and the Slade School of Art, London. Welsby’s art has consistently been concerned with landscape – not the static scene, but the fluctuating patterns of movement and light resulting from the Earth’s rotation and the pull of the Moon – and the equivalents in daily life caused by human traffic. His filming – taking hours or months – follows rules and systems imposed to make his subjects visible. Welsby now lives and works in Vancouver, making installations and single screen works. —tate.org.uk