joshua bonnetta - american colour (12inch vinyl lp + dvd)

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Truth be told, I feel as though I'm almost unable to give high enough praise to this stunning edition. Joshua Bonnetta's American Colour is a film that was shot on old rolls of 16mm Kodachrome film during a road trip from upstate New York (where the stock was manufactured) to Kansas. Coincidentally, moments of the film and recording were captured not far from my home here in Ashtabula, Ohio, after which the B-side of the record is named. The DVD, mounted on an exquisite uncoated gatefold sleeve, contains a film that explores the historic characteristics of the unique stock. The LP presents the accompanying score which, by use of violin, tape, processing and site-specific shortwave radio recorded during the photography, speaks as an homage to Leopold Mannes and Leopold Godowsky Jr., the two violinists who invented Kodachrome in 1935. Reading Irene Bindi's superb monograph, presented on the printed inner sleeve, while listening to the LP and taking in the film flickering on the screen, I found myself completely immersed in the spirit of this project. Utterly engrossing. This truly is the complete package. - Jeremy Bible, Experimedia

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In 2011, a processing facility in Kansas, the last to process Kodachrome, discontinued the K14 developing process. The historical stock became obsolete. In 2010, I photographed 14 rolls of Kodachrome 16mm, which had been stored since 1986. The stock was developed, in the last batch of footage processed. The resulting film is American Colour. The film was photographed over a week while traveling to Kansas from the birthplace of Kodachrome in upstate New York. In the wake of the obsolescence of Kodachrome, the footage is used to explore the stocks historic and unique rendering of colour, hue and light value in relation to the American landscape and it's architecture.

The accompanying soundtrack is homage to Leopold Mannes and Leopold Godowsky Jr. the two violinists whom invented Kodachrome in 1935. The piece was created using a violin, tape, processing and site-specific shortwave radio recorded during the photography. The soundtrack will be performed live when possible.

"Joshua Bonnetta's American Colour (note the bi-national spelling), was shot on old rolls of 16mm Kodachrome during a pilgrimage from the stock's birthplace inupstate New York to Kansas, where its final rolls were processed earlier this year. Like a postscript to Dean's Kodak, American Colour explores Kodachrome's historic use and singular hues, doing so with digital means in the wake of its obsolescence." – Andrea Picard, Toronto International Film Festival

Full color gatefold cover, black vinyl Lp (cut at SST), no-region DVD (ntsc only), printed inner sleeve with a monograph by Irene Bindi. 300 copies, of which only 100 will be available for distribution through Senufo. Co-produced with WNDX.

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