VIDEO TAPE PROJECTS

VIDEO TAPE PROJECTS

THE ABOMINABLE FREEDOM 
41:00/STEREO/2006-COLLABORATION WITH DARRIN MARTIN
Originaly shot video and appropriated film weaves together a musical 
celebration of the flesh. An egg from the missing link holds a skeleton key 
to our educational future. On a parallel world, lifecoaches made of bone & fur 
activate televisual coursework including circular zooming studies, spectral-mating, 
and etheric birthing techniques. Manifest Destiny eludes it's colonial past and 
takes refuge deep in our pagan libidinal nature.
SCENES:
INTRODUCTION TO THE YETI VALLEY WITH SONG
ALFREDIAN HEX SCHOOL SYSTEM ONE
THE RESTLESS WRESTLERS WITH SONG
CIRCULAR YOGA-ZOOMERS
EXPERIMENTAL HARROD INTRODUCTIONS
HAWAIIN SELF DISCOVERY WITH DANCE
EXPERIMENTAL HARROD LECTURE SERIES 1
YELLOW HOODED LIFECOACHES ONE
EXPERIMENTAL HARROD LECTURE SERIES 2
DR.STRANGE'S JOURNEY
RE-SEXUALIZED SEANCE WORKSHOPS+NUDE BLOOD DIVING
BRITT ECKLAND'S SONG WITH MAYPOLE+BIGFOOT WORKSHOP
ALTERNATIVE BIRTHING WORKSHOP ONE
ALTERNATIVE INSEMINATION WORKSHOP
ALTERNATIVE BIRTHING WORKSHOP TWO
SPREAD MY WINGS I KNOW I CAN FLY! WITH SONG
THE PREMONITION LECTURE
YELLOW HOODED LIFECOACHES TWO WITH SKELETON TEACHERS
SPECTRAL MATING WORKSHOP
JOHNNY'S SONG
ALFREDIAN HEX SCHOOL SYSTEM TWO
LEAVING THE YETI VALLEY WITH SONG



THE LAUGHING DEATH 20:00/STEREO/2006 
collaborative tape by VIROCODE + TORSTEN ZENAS BURNS
 A mythic fable of political contamination told in a video context. 
Inexorable forces have been set in motion in the world today, forces typified by cycles of 
violence and misunderstanding. .....A type of life-cycle embodied in these evolving stories 
supports the precept that these historical issues may be pared down to the tangible form of 
individual lives: ominous perhaps,though not defeatist; terminal no doubt, but laughing.
Speculative subjects that will be explored in this story include: Nascar races,
World War Three & four, Hostage re-education, Lindsay Wagner, and reimagined
Android / superhero / cyborg relationships.

UNDERNEATH THE WORKSHOP-WAYS-10:00-STEREO (C)2005
HOLYOKE RESEARCH CENTER SPONSORED WORKSHOP PROGRAMS

THE BODY-SPACE PROGRAM
1.SHIP TO SHIP:RESIDENCY CHUNKS 8:00-STEREO-©2001/2004
Sculptural interfacing between multiple choreographed entities. 
INTERTITLES: IMPLOSION CHAIR / TRANSHABITATION LANDSCAPE PAINTING / CHANNELING FOUR / NEW-HAVEN TRAINING FACILITY / SPACEJOB
2.EXCHANGE PROGRAM:GALACTICA / LIFESPACE 12:00-STEREO-©2002
A fusion between architectural bodies and space-time bodies.Reimagining one's life aboard 
an improvisational spacestation. 
INTERTITLES: RESIDENCY NODE:REIMAGINED REBIRTH / PAYLOAD SPECIALIST ONE:PERFORMANCE ARTIST / MACRO INTERFACE VEHICLE
CHOREOGRAPHIC FRIENDSHIPPING / EXPLORATORY HYGIENE STATION / BODYNAUT / COLLABORATIVE ENGINE FIRING / 
RESIDENCY TRAINING WITCH-CRAFT / MICRO INTERFACE/INTERFAITH VEHICLES / MISSION SPECIALIST TWO-EARTHSUIT / REMEMEBERING GALACTICA
3.EXTENDING TRAINER:PRESSURE SUITS & BROOM-CRAFTS 30:00 / 23:00-STEREO-©2004
A team-up between Alternative space agencies, Processed training exercises, feline androidal 
relationship studies, past-regressed family workshops, green helmets, beams of light, spectacular 
strollers and video residency programs. 
INTERTITLES: [PART TWO]-MISSION SPECIALIST 9: MANIFESTED UMBILICUS AND HOSTING PROGRAM / PRESSURE SUIT35: INTEGRATED PADDED SLAB
MISSION SPECIALIST 68: INTERFAITH/ INTERFACE EXTRA-VEHICULAR IMPROVISATIONS / RESIDENCY LAUNCHER: WET&MESSY MOBILE ASSEMBLY BUILDING
"CUTTING A PORTAL" A CONSTRUCTED FAMILY IN SPACE / RESIDENCY PROBES: 1.NEAR FUTURE REGRESSIONS 2.NOSTALGIC WARNINGS
3.THOUGHT-CHARGED STONES / THE BODYSPACE PROGRAM: LONG RANGING FLOATERS & BEARDED BROOM-CRAFTS / 
VHAUNTED INORGANIC RELATION-SHIP STUDIES

CREATED AT:
HARVESTWORKS RESIDENCY PROGRAM(NY,NY) EXPERIMENTAL TELEVISION CENTER(OWEGO,NY)
BEMIS CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART(OMAHA,NE)
L.M.C.C. WINDOWS ON THE WORLD RESIDENCY PROGRAM(NY,NY)
SMACKMELLON STUDIO PROGRAM(BROOKLYN,NY)

VOLCANICA

DIR TORSTEN ZENAS BURNS, DARRIN MARTIN - EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 9 MIN
"A feel-good glimpse into a full-bodied lava canal; horror and hippies transmigrate through 
a portal that began through a hole in the head that activates a redefined eruption."

AFTERLIFERS: WALKING &TALKING
16:30-stereo-(C)2004 HALFLIFERS
Unliving and Undead partners shuttle between the day and night in their custom gravicles
talking,walking and exploring residency activated splatstick......


I AM TODAY'S LESSON PLAN-11:00-STEREO-2004-COLLABORATION WITH DARRIN MARTIN
MAN-PROBE EXAMPLES-6:00-STEREO-2004-COLLABORATION WITH DARRIN MARTIN
LEARNING STALLS:MODULAR SYLLABI AND ORGANIC EXCHANGE
24:00-STEREO-2003-COLLABORATION WITH DARRIN MARTIN
is a unique edit of Burn's and Martin's epic Learning Stalls: Lesson Plans, which utilizes video as a trans-disciplinary curriculum 
exploring diverse speculative fictions and reimagined educational practices.  Psychic surgery meets physical therapy as matter 
and anti-matter merge under the choreographed supervision of other worldly beings.  In the search for new mind/body experiences, 
Burns, Martin and other workshop participants enact paranormal interactions, intersexual dynamics, pseudo-testing methods, and 
staged quasi-therapy sessions.  Through these practices and via communication with organic/inorganic prop exchange, the life-student 
is reinvigorated as both energy conduit and exploratory probe.
Learning Stalls: modular syllabi and organic exchange made its premier at Cinematexas where it won a Special Jury Award.  
Spencer Parsons called it, "A multi-disciplinary, transplanar curriculum grid onto which Burns and Martin project exploding emissions 
and wireframe-enhanced psychic surgeries to demonstrate an altogether new educational paradigm for philosophical and physiological 
inquiry based on total graphic agitation and super-sized Gymboree. Class meets anytime anyplace anywhere any way."  
LEARNING STALLS:LESSON PLANS 
2002 INSTALLATION VERSION PRODUCED AT EYEBEAM (NYC)-COLLABORATION WITH DARRIN MARTIN


RESIDUE-16:00-STEREO (C)2002
PASTLIFE FAMILY FICTIONS, ETHERICHARGED HYGIENE STATIONS, DIVINING PROPS , AND THE BEAR. 


UNDEADED SERIES
SELECTED AFTERLIFE CHARACTERS-10:00-STEREO (C)2001/2004
AFTER-TOMB PERSONALITIES-10:00-STEREO (C)2003
A SELECTION OF AFTERLIFE BODIES ENGAGED IN A COLLABORATION WITH THEIR SURROUNDING
EXPLORING AND INVESTIGATING HUMOR, HYGIENE AND THE ARTS.

SLIMECODE-6:00-2003-COLLABORATION WITH THE FOUNDRY
CURRENTS-19:00-2001-COLLABORATION WITH DARRIN MARTIN
ISLANDS SERIES-1999-HALFLIFERS
HOMESTEADERS-16:00-1999-HALFLIFERS
MESSHALL-10:00-1999-HALFLIFERS
HARVEST-12:00-1999-HALFLIFERS
RECALL-14:00-1998-COLLABORATION WITH DARRIN MARTIN
CORP SERIES
GESTURECORP-1997
COMMUNICORP-1997
MOBILECORP-1997
RESCUE SERIES-1994-1997-HALFLIFERS
PSYCHO-SCOPIC BLEEDING GROUND-35:00-STEREO-1992-COLLABORATIVE TAPE WITH VIROCODE
THE NARRATIVE PASSAGE-1991
NORMAL [HEALTHY MOVEMENTS]-1990

BIOGRAPHY:
Burns received his BFA in video and sculpture in 1990 from the New York State College of 
Art@Alfred University and his MFA in video and performance art from The San Franscisco Art Institute in 1993.
Burns has created video,net art and installation projects exploring speculative content, including fictional educational 
practices, experimental space programs, zombie relationships and improvisational choreographies.
Over the past 10 years burns has participated in 7 residency programs including Headlands Center for the Arts(CA),
L.M.C.C. studio program(NYC), Experimental Television Center(NY) Eyebeam,(NYC), and Smackmellon Brooklyn studio program
Other projects include long term projects with VIROCODE, The Foundry , and media artist Darrin Martin as well as a 
collaboration with Anthony Discenza under the name HALFLIFERS. 
Burns video work is distributed by VTAPE,Canada, The Video Data Bank in Chicago,Illinois and Lux Center in England.
Burns has had work shown at the the Museum of Modern art's Video View points series,(NY),Pacific Film Archive(CA),
CINEMATEXAS [TX], The New York Video Festival, The European Media Arts Festival(Germany),The Impakt festival 
(Netherlands) The Melbourne International film festival(Australia), The 50th edition of the Oberhausen short film festival
(Germany) and most recently screened his new video called "Extending trainer:Pressure suits&Broom-crafts"
at The Museum of Modern Arts "Premieres" video&film program.