Jordan Belson: In Memoriam

Image: Samadhi (1967)
© Jordan Belson, courtesy Center for Visual Music

Jordan Belson (1926–2011), arguably one of the most influential artists and Experimental filmmakers of his generation and who sadly passed away last month, spent his entire life's work focusing on the abstract depiction of mystical and meditative states of the mind.

Produced predominantly in a time before the advent of digital film and computer editing software, Belson found inspiration from Eastern philosophy, experimentation with hallucinogenic drugs and the works of Carl Jung.

Before his death, Belson specifically stated that he did not want his work to be uploaded onto the web, owing to the low-resolution quality of the footage and the fact that it wouldn’t do his artwork any justice. The only means, therefore, is to watch his films by either going to a rare screening event or ordering a DVD of his work, Jordan Belson: 5 Essential Films (2007), which showcases Allures, Samadhi, Light, Fountain of Dreams and Epilogue.

For further information on the DVD, together with details of Jordan Belson’s complete work, visit centerforvisualmusic.org/Belson. The Center for Visual Music is also currently running a project to raise funds in order to digitalize a number of high quality clips from a selection of Belson's films to place online; for details on how to make a donation to this worthwhile project, visit centerforvisualmusic.org/Donate.