Sound Unseen 2009

Trimpin: The Sound of Invention is an amusing journey through the sonic world of an eccentric creative genius. Artist/inventor/engineer/composer Trimpin shuns the hype and hyperbole of the commercial art world – yet his freewheeling sculptures and outrageous musical experiments are cherished by museums all over the planet. Filmed over two years, this cinema verite documentary feature follows the artist/inventor as he devises a perpetual motion machine, builds a 20-meter tower of automatic electric guitars, and collaborates with the Kronos Quartet on an outrageous world premiere. The film will delight anyone interested in the mysteries, pitfalls, and sheer joy of creative experiment. Critics quotes: " A genius at circuitry and machinery as well as acoustics and musical structure, he manufactures orchestras that play themselves ." - The Village Voice

Director Ondi Timoner Present! Ten years in the making and culled from 5000 hours of footage, We Live in Public reveals the effect the web is having on our society, as seen through the eyes of “the greatest Internet pioneer you’ve never heard of”, artist, futurist and visionary Josh Harris. Award-winning director Ondi Timoner ( DIG! which also won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 2004, also screening in Sound Unseen, this year) documented his tumultuous life for more than a decade to create a riveting, cautionary tale of what to expect as the virtual world inevitably takes control of our lives. Harris, often called the “Warhol of the Web”, founded Pseudo.com, the first Internet television network during the infamous dot-com boom of the 1990s. He also curated and funded the ground breaking project “Quiet” in an underground bunker in NYC where over 100 people lived together on camera for 30 days at the turn of the millennium. With Quiet, Harris proved how we willingly trade our privacy for the connection and recognition we all deeply desire, but with every technological advancement such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, becomes more elusive. Through his experiments, including a six-month stint living with his girlfriend under 24-hour electronic surveillance which led to his mental collapse, Harris demonstrated the price we pay for living in public. Featuring music by, The Jesus & Mary Chain, David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, The Pixies, Sigur Ros and Jamiroquai. Variety & Minnpost.com Film critic, Rob Nelson, will be on hand to moderate a Q & A with Timoner, following the screening. Critic’s Quotes: “ Bone-chilling. Darkly funny. Astounding .” - Rob Nelson, Variety “ Riveting. A compelling cautionary tale .” – New York Times “ Remarkable. Mesmerizing !” -LAWeekly