Raumlichtkunst - ACMI

Oskar Fischinger's 'Raumlichtkunst' represents some of the earliest attempts at cinematic immersive environments, and are a precursor to expanded cinema and 1960's light shows. Presented in ACMI's newly renovated exhibition space.

This exhibition presents one of the first multimedia projections ever made, Oskar Fischinger’s Raumlichtkunst, a reconstruction of his multiple-screen film events, first shown in Germany in 1926, and restored by the Center for Visual Music (CVM) in Los Angeles. Working with Fischinger’s original 1920s nitrate film, CVM restored the 35mm film via traditional photochemical processes, transferred it to HD, digitally restored the colour, and reconstructed this three-screen version of his performances. Originally accompanied by live avant-garde percussion, CVM chose two version of ‘Double Music’ by John Cage and Lou Harrison, and ‘Ionisation’ by Edgard Varèse.

Curator/archivist Cindy Keefer

Music supervisor Richard Brown, Ph.D.

Curator notes

In 1926, abstract filmmaker Oskar Fischinger (1900-1967) began performing multiple projector cinema shows in Germany with up to five 35mm film projectors, color filters and slides. Fischinger wrote of his concept of Raumlichtmusik (space-light-music), believing all the arts would merge in this new art. The critics called his performances "Raumlichtkunst" and praised Fischinger's  “original art vision which can only be expressed through film.” These shows represent some of the earliest attempts at cinematic immersive environments, and are a precursor to expanded cinema and 1960s light shows.

Under the concept name of "Raumlichtkunst," Fischinger performed several different versions of these multiple projector shows in the late 1920s, some of which were called Fieber and Macht (Power). Biographer William Moritz speculated that another name used may have been R-1 ein Formspiel, though no reviews or documentation exist of this name. Our re-creation does not strive to represent any one specific performance, rather the concept and effect of Fischinger's series of shows.

Working with Fischinger's original 1920s nitrate film, Center for Visual Music restored the 35mm film via traditional photochemical processes, transferred to HD, digitally restored the color, and reconstructed this three-screen recreation of his c. 1926–27 performances. The three-screen installation is projected in HD video. No documentation exists of the original music used, other than reports of "various percussive" accompaniment. For this re-creation we have chosen to use Varèse's 'Ionisation' and two versions of 'Double Music' by John Cage and Lou Harrison. – Center for Visual Music

The Raumlichtkunst reconstruction has been exhibited at The Whitney Museum of Art, New York (2012 and 2016–17), Tate Modern, London (2012–13), Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2013), Govett Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre (2017), Weinstein Gallery, San Francisco (2017–18) and Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane (2014–15).

Further detailed information on Oskar Fischinger can be found at Center for Visual Music.

“Everything in the world has a spirit which is released by its sound.”

—Oskar Fischinger.

Installation View at Whitney Museum, New York

© Center for Visual Music