Harry Smith
Biography
Harry Everett Smith (May 29, 1923 in Portland, Oregon – November 27, 1991 in New York City) was a visual artist, experimental filmmaker, record collector, bohemian, mystic, and largely self-taught student of anthropology. Smith was an important figure in the Beat Generation scene in New York City, and his activities, such as his use of mind-altering substances and interest in esoteric spirituality, anticipated aspects of the Hippie movement. Besides his films, Smith is widely known for his influential "Anthology of American Folk Music," drawn from his extensive collection of out-of-print commercial 78 rpm recordings. Throughout his life Smith was an inveterate collector. In addition to records, artifacts he collected included string figures, paper airplanes, Seminole textiles, and Ukrainian Easter eggs. Description above from the Wikipedia article Harry Everett Smith, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For & Full Filmography8 Titles
Movie - 2007, 2h 15m • as Self
This exhibition focuses on Jonas Mekas’ 365 Day Project, a succession of films and videos in calendar form. Every day as of January 1st, 2007 and for an entire year, as indicated in the title, a large public (the artist's friends, as well as unknowns) were invited to view a diary of short films of various lengths (from one to twenty minutes) on the Internet. A movie was posted each day, adding to the previously posted pieces, resulting altogether in nearly thirty-eight hours of moving images.
Movie - 1968, 2h 15m • as Self
Also known as Walden, Jonas Mekas’s first diary film is a six-reel chronicle of his life in 1960s New York, interweaving moments with family, friends, lovers, and artistic idols. Blending everyday encounters with portraits of the avant-garde art scene, it forms an epic, personal meditation on community, creativity, and the passage of time.
Movie - 1987, 2h 15m • as Self
“Harry Smith visited my apartment on East 3rd Street, New York City, April 1987. Harry told someone calling him he was at “a secret location on the Lower East Side“. So Harry! – Always like that!” He’s seen here recording, while storytelling and giving advice on use of the modern Walkman Pro to Cynthia Poirier (who would soon go on to making brilliant music recordings in West Africa). I like him holding his Walkman Pro up-close (calling it “the modern Walkman” is only referencing back to when it was the best thing available in those days for compact size and convenience).” – Brian Graham
Movie - 1997, 2h 15m • as Self
Jonas Mekas assembles 160 portraits, appearances, and fleeting sketches of underground and independent filmmakers captured between 1955 and 1996. Fast-paced and archival in spirit, the film celebrates the avant-garde as its own “nation of cinema,” a vital community existing outside the dominance of commercial film.
Movie - 1965, 2h 15m • as Self
The films were made between 1964 and 1966 at Warhol's Factory studio in New York City. Subjects were captured in stark relief by a strong key light, and filmed by Warhol with his stationary 16mm Bolex camera on silent, black and white, 100-foot rolls of film at 24 frames per second. The resulting two-and-a-half-minute film reels were then screened in 'slow motion' at 16 frames per second.
Movie - 1964, 2h 15m • as Himself
Harry Smith’s screen test by Andy Warhol.
Movie - 1970, 2h 15m • as Self
A pilot for a documentary film capturing life at the Chelsea Hotel in the early 1970s. The film was never finished due to budget issues. 'A regrettable folly of my youth,' said the director, Albert Scopin.
Movie - 2017, 2h 15m • as Self
The 94-year-old Robert Frank’s unique recordings of his fellow artists Harry Smith and Allen Ginsberg, which he had salvaged from his own archive for Harry Smith at the Breslin Hotel.