JORDAN
BIREN
Stellbar
THROUGH THE DOMAIN of the hyper-personal plumbed from
vaporous sensations of a paradisiac past-"That ochre, balmy
land where
light shimmers endlessly through an amaranthine haze"-through
breaches of subcutaneous horror that rise inarticulate and ghost-like
within
a disturbing eloquence of images, sound, and text, Stellbar remains
as that
indefinite moment of sublimity, "clothed in a serene surround
of lightless
days, and soft luminous evenings," where, bejeweled and rapturous,
to all
things and everything, the end then drifts back over the beginning.
My intent in Stellbar is to purposely tread that gossamer
line between the vulnerable and
the arrantly sentimental. Hyperbolic melodrama envelops material
culled from the
treachery of personal narrative, brooding landscape, and mundane
occurrences. An
impenetrably interior text hangs in delicate balance with shadowy
gloom. And a
soundtrack eliciting the gratuitously dramatic and vaguely disturbing
underscores the
entire piece. Yet, with no transcendent moment to its temporal
unfolding, narrative
enunciation evaporates. Like all my work, Stellbar seeks
that space in the chasms of
contextual breach through which the more ineffable pushes through.
Jordan Biren
Stellbar
CREDITS
WITH Ursula Brookbank and Jordan Biren
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED by Jordan Biren
VOICE Edward Atterton
MUSIC James Hardman
SOUND AND EDIT Jordan Biren
22:30 Minutes Color, Stereo DV NTSC
©2004 Jordan Biren
RESUME
JORDAN BIREN
2767 Granville Ave. Los Angeles CA 90064
Off: 310 231 3433 / Cell: 310 866 0217
jbiren@mediafoundation.com
b. January 19, 1953 Los Angeles, California
Education
1993 M.F.A. Performance/Video: New Genres, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
1992 B.F.A. Performance/Video: New Genres, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
1988-1990 Visual Arts studies, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA,
Grants / Awards
1998 Film Arts Foundation Grant for Independent Film & Video Makers
1993 Chauncey McKeever Fine Arts Award, San Francisco Art Institute
1991 Spring Show Award, San Francisco Art Institute
Solo Exhibitions and Premiere Screenings
2004 STELLBAR, The Museum of Jurassic Technology, Culver City, CA (Premiere)
THE OCHRE VALLEY (1 & 2), MY MOTHER'S FAMILY, STELLBAR, "Los Angeles" curated by Dale
Hoyt, Build, San Francisco, CA
2000 FROM HERE HOME, "Jordan Biren: Strange Affinities" Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive,
Berkeley, CA (Premiere)
1998 THE OCHRE VALLEY, curated by Doug Hall, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA (Premiere)
MEANING, TEXT, MY MOTHER'S FAMILY, THE OCHRE VALLEY, "Meaning: The Video Work
Of Jordan Biren" Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA
1994 MY MOTHER'S FAMILY, The Living Room, San Francisco, CA (Premiere)
1993 UNIVERSITY (with Doug Hall and Mitchell Goodman), "University" Matrix,
University Art Museum/ Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA (Premiere)
1992 MECHANICAL SOUND ORCHESTRA (with Mitchell Goodman), "Matt Heckert: Mechanical Sound
Orchestra" Matrix, University Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA (Premiere)
1991 SEX, MEANING, "In The Video Room: Sex and Meaning"
curated by Lawrence Andrews, New Langton Arts, San Francisco, CA (Premiere)
SEX, MEANING, "Sex and Meaning Projected" Nine One One Media Arts Center, Seattle, WA
Group Exhibitions and Screenings
2004 STELLBAR, "Lucid.ludic" curated by Alexandra Grant, Jose Drudis-Biada Gallery,
Mt. St. Mary's College, Los Angeles, CA
MEANING, "The Black Dahlia Show" curated by Hailey Ashcraft, 21 Grand, Oakland CA
2003 FROM HERE HOME, "Suburban Stasis" Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley,CA
2001 ANGER TOWARDS SOFT DOLLS, "Mistakes Were Made" Spiral Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1999 THE OCHRE VALLEY, "Disquietly Encased In Skin" curated by Virocode,
Contemporary Arts Collective, Las Vegas, NV
1997 MY MOTHER'S FAMILY, "Electronic Guise" curated by Anne McGuire, Bay Area VideoCoalition,San Francisco, CA
1995 THE BODY, "Harvest" curated by HalfLifers, The Knitting Factory, New York, NY
MEANING, "Through the Peephole of Disaster" curated by Virocode, Hallwalls, Buffalo, NY
1994 MY MOTHER'S FAMILY, "Exhibitions" curated by Tony Labat, Palais des Beaux-Arts,Brussels, Belgium
1993 THE BODY, "The Body Politic" San Francisco Art Commission Gallery, San Francisco, CA
TEXT, "Cinematograph" San Francisco Cinematheque, San Francisco, CA
1992 TEXT, "Bar Video" curated by Tony Labat, Limbo, San Francisco, CA
TEXT, "Bar Video" curated by Tony Labat, Max Fish, New York, NY
THE BODY, "Body Puppet Arcanum" New American Makers, San Francisco, CA
LOVE, "Full Frontal" New Langton Arts, San Francisco, CA
1991 MEANING, "Comfort" Christopher Grimes Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
THE BODY, "No More Heroes: Unveiling Masculinity" curated by Barbara DeGenevieve,
Camerawork, San Francisco, CA (catalog)
MEANING, "Killing Time" University Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA
1990 ANGER TOWARDS SOFT DOLLS, "Seven Deadly Sins" Occupied Seattle, Seattle, WA
1989 PROPERTY/FIRST AVENUE, "Civilization" curated by Helen Slater, Nine One One Contemporary
Arts Center, Seattle, WA
UNTITLED (BODY), Fisher Gallery, Cornish College, Seattle WA
1988 WATCH/HEAR, Fisher Gallery, Cornish College, Seattle WA
Festivals
2000 13th Annual Dallas Video Festival, Dallas, TX
1999 12th Annual Dallas Video Festival, Dallas, TX
Performances
1990 "St. Patrick's Cabaret" Rebar, Seattle, WA
1989 "Finding the Inside Out" Nine One One Contemporary Arts Center, Seattle, WA
"Garlic and Vision" Occupied Seattle, Seattle, WA
"Rattle Projection Read" Occupied Seattle, Seattle, WA
"Rattle Projection" Occupied Seattle, Seattle, WA
"Anger Towards Soft Dolls" Occupied Seattle, Seattle, WA
1988 "Distorted Read" Occupied Seattle, Seattle, WA
"Real Estate Read" Occupied Seattle, Seattle, WA
"Kafka Kommunismus" Occupied Seattle, Seattle, WA
Publications
"From The Ochre Valley Home" e.g., Premier Issue, Volume 1, Spring 1999
"Media Foundation" MF Magazine, Number 1, Fall 1997, 1-4
"The Transcribed Autobiography" Squealer, Volume 10, No. 2, Fall 1995, 8-10
"Braille and Sex: Dale Hoyt and Jordan Biren In Conversation", Felix, Volume 2, No. 1, 1995, 39-43
"The Horror Story of My Father's Death" Cinematograph-Sentience, Volume 5, 1993, 33-40
"Images" Video Networks, Volume 16, Number 5, October/November 1992, cover; 18-21
"Absent Sexuality" Reflex, Vol. 4, No. 3, May/June 1990, 21-22
"An Ecology of Chaos" Reflex, Vol. 3, No. 6, Nov/Dec. 1989, pg. 19
"Before Thought" Reflex, Vol. 3, No. 4, July/Aug. 1989, pg. 26
"Transgressive Prints" Reflex, Vol. 3, No. 2, Mar/Apr. 1989, pg. 19
"Obsessive Eccentricity" Reflex, Vol. 2, No. 6, Nov/Dec. 1988, pgs. 16-17
"Abstract In Seattle" Reflex, Vol. 2, No. 5, Sept/Oct 1988, pgs. 19-20
Archives / Collections
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley, CA
Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA
New Langton Arts, San Francisco, CA
Nine One One Media Arts Center, Seattle, WA
Christopher Grimes, Santa Monica, CA
Selected Bibliography
Seid, Steve, "Suburban Stasis", Film Notes, Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive,
January/February 2003, pg. 10
Seid, Steve, "Jordan Biren: Strange Affinities", Film Notes, Berkeley Art Museum/
Pacific Film Archive, March/April 2000, pg. 7
Fankushen, Jesse, "An Interview With Jordan Biren", Media Front, Spring 1999, 5-6
Seid, Steve, "Meaning: The Video Work of Jordan Biren", Film Notes, Berkeley Art Museum/
Pacific Film Archive, September/October 1998, pg. 14
Morse, Margaret, "Staging Knowledge and Power: Doug Hall's Mixed Media Installation:
'University'", Video Networks, Vol. 17, No. 3, June/July 1993, pgs. 18-20
Bonetti, David, "UC Berkeley Remembers 125 Years", San Francisco Examiner, June 1, 1993,pgs. C1, C5
Webster, Mary Hull, "In Mr. Wizard's Shadow, Doug Hall at UAM Berkeley", Artweek, Vol. 24,
No. 10, May 20, 1993, pgs. 4-5
Rinder, Lawrence, "Doug Hall: University", Matrix/Berkeley 158, University Art Museum/
Pacific Film Archive, May/June 1993
DeGenevieve, Barbara, "Masculinity and It's Discontents", SF Camerawork Quarterly,Vol. 18,
Nos. 3 & 4, 1991, pgs. 11, 29
Seid, Steve, "Killing Time", Film Notes, University Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, July/August1991, pgs. 12-13
Reidy, Robin, "Sex and Meaning", On Screen, Nine One One Media Arts Center,
May/June 1991, pg. 6
Videography
2004 STELLBAR, 23:20 Minutes; Color, Stereo; DVCAM NTSC Source/Master
1999 FROM HERE HOME, 30:30 Minutes; Color, Stereo; DVCAM NTSC Source/Digital Beta Master
1998 THE OCHRE VALLEY (2), 22:30 Minutes; Color, Stereo; BetacamSP Source/Digital Beta Master
1993 MY MOTHER'S FAMILY, 13:40 Minutes; Color, Mono; Industrial Hi8mm, High Res.
Linotronic Output, BetacamSP Source/ 1" 'C' Type Master
UNIVERSITY (with Doug Hall and Mitchell Goodman), 10:40 Minutes; Color, Mono;
BetacamSP Source/ 1" 'C' Type Master
1992 TEXT, 6:20 Minutes; Color, Mono; Industrial Hi8MM Source/ 3/4"SP Master
1992 DAVID IRELAND'S CRESCENT, 10:45 Minutes; Color, Stereo; Hi8MM Source/ 3/4"SP Master
MATT HECKERT: MECHANICAL SOUND ORCHESTRA (with Mitchell Goodman), 25:10 Minutes;
Color, B&W, Mono; Industrial Hi8MM, 1/2" Surveillance Camera Source/3/4"SP Master
LOVE, 15:33 Minutes; Color, Stereo; Industrial Hi8MM Source/3/4"SP Master
LOVE (EXTENDED, 29:00 Minutes; Color, Stereo; Industrial Hi8MM Source/3/4"SP Master
1991 THE OCHRE VALLEY (1), 29:00 Minutes; Color, Stereo; Industrial Hi8MM Source/3/4"SP Master
MEANING, 22:00 Minutes; Color, Stereo; Hi8mm Source/ 3/4"SP Master
1990 SEX, 29:50 Minutes; Color, Stereo; 8MM Source/ 3/4"SP Master
1990 THE BODY, 15:00 Minutes; Color, Stereo; VHSC Source/ 3/4"SP Master
1989 ANGER TOWARDS SOFT DOLLS, 6:36 Minutes; Color, Mono; VHSC Source/ VHS Master
PROPERTY: FIRST AVENUE, 16:00 Min. Minutes; Color, Stereo; 3/4" Source/Master
UNTITLED (HALL), 26:00 Minutes; Color, Stereo; VHSC Source/3/4" Master
UNTITLED (BODY), 30:00 Minutes; Color, Stereo; VHSC Source/3/4" Master
1989 WATCH, 7:24 Minutes; Color, Stereo; VHSC Source/3/4" Master
1988 WATCH/HEAR, 6:12 Minutes; Color, Stereo; VHSC Source/3/4" Master
ROLLING EASTERN WA, 5:26 Minutes; Color, Stereo; VHSC Source/3/4" Master
HAPPY, 6:30 Minutes; Color, Stereo; 8MM Source/3/4" Master