In 1916 the Italian Futurist artist Arnaldo Ginna filmed, edited and generally oversaw the creation of Vita Futurista (Futurist Life), the only officially “Futurist” film ever made. Created by a committee of futurists, including sculptor, painter and writer Giacomo Balla, playwright and poet Remo Chiti, writer Bruno Corra (also the brother of Ginna, and the co-creator of Ginna’s hand painted completely abstract films of 1909), founder of Futurism, poet, and declaimer F.T. Marinetti, poet and Author Emilio Settimelli, painter and Ginna’s film assistant Lucia Venna and Paolo Ungari, Vita Futurista directly took up several of the ideas proposed by “The Futurist Cinema” manefesto, which delacred that film was the “expressive medium most adapted to the complete sensibility of the Futurist artist.”

On the occasion of Performa 09’s celebration of Futurism, Performa, SFMOMA and Portland Green Cultural Projects had invited an incredible group of contemporary film and video artists to create their own versions of the original segments in Vita Futurista, re-imagining this film in relation to our future.

Lynn Hershman Leeson’s Customized Marinetti was inspired by the “Futurist Walking”.

Lynn Hershman Leeson has worked extensively in photography, video, film, performance installation and interactive net-based media. Hershman Leeson wrote, directed and produced the featured films Teknolust, Conceiving Ada and Strange culture as well as other films and shorts. She has received numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. The Alfred P. Sloan Film Prize and the Golden Nica Prix Ars Electronica.

RIGHTS CONTACT: not held