Video

Sparks

Gisèle Trudel (Ælab) and Stéphane Claude (Ælab)

2005, 40:00 minutes, colour, English

TAPECODE 785.05

Sparks is a modular video series comprised of five video capsules which finds its inspiration in the life of visionary inventor Nikola Tesla (1856-1943).

Outlining major events in Tesla's life and career,
Sparks mixes documentary facts within a larger experimental genre featuring shifting perspectives including interviews, autobiographical texts, animations, archival sources, metaphorical interpretations and original sound design. The five capsules can be seen independently, in clusters of two or three, or all together, and can be interspersed within a thematic video programme.

Interviews with Jeffrey Stanley (screenwriter, New York), Velimir Abramovic (philosopher, Belgrade, Serbia) and Andrew Michrowski (director of PACE - Planetary Association for Clean Energy, Ottawa).�

s1 Tesla and his time 1999, 7 min 45s
An overview of Nikola Tesla's life work and prodigious personality.

s3 Niagara Falls
2005, 6 min 20s
An account of the "war of the currents" (AC vs. DC) and Tesla's rivalry with American inventor, Thomas Edison.

s5 Colorado Springs 2005, 5 min 11s
A look into Tesla's Colorado Springs laboratory, where he experimented with the wireless transmission of electricity/energy.

s8 Wardenclyffe 1999, 9min 46s
Reflecting on the legacy of Tesla's Wardenclyffe laboratory in Long Island, N.Y, where in 1901 he tried to establish the basis for his "World Broadcasting System."

s11 Tesla and the future 2005, 9 min 57s
A reflection on Tesla's legacy and a reflection on the perception of time in his wake.

Rental and Sales

Single Screening Rental

$240.00

Educational Purchase DVD (Bluray +$15)

$260.00

5 Year Educational Streaming License, Digital File with DVD Circulation Copy

$550.00

Gallery Exhibition and Installation, complete Media Request form for quote

Institutional Archival Acquisition, complete Media Request form for quote

Curators and programmers, please contact distribution@vtape.org to receive a login and password to preview Vtape titles online.

Screening and exhibition rentals and archival acquisitions include public performance rights; educational purchases or licenses include rights for classroom screenings and library circulation. When placing an order the customer agrees to our general online terms and conditions. Payment (or a purchase order number) and a signed licensing agreement must be received before media can be shipped to the client.