THE CHELSEA TAPES
The Chelsea Tapes (TRT 00:51:15) is a series of 26 video vignettes forming an autobiographical diary of Lamarre's extended stay at Manhattan's infamous and famous Chelsea Hotel. The Chelsea Tapes was awarded Best Non-Narrative Video at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1986, and can be found in numerous collections, including the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) in London, and the Staedlijk Museum in Amsterdam. The Chelsea Tapes was also awarded The Kitchen Media Bureau Grant in 1984 and 1985.
The back-story:
Lamarre's stay at the Chelsea Hotel (initially planned for three months evolving to be nearly 2 years) was enabled by a fellowship in 1982 from Creative Arts Program Services (CAPS) for his multi-media/video/performances: Baking Bread and From The Adult to the Child.
Inspired by the fact that luminaries the likes of; Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, Viva, and Sid Vicious took up residence at the Chelsea (Lamarre would occasionally share the elevator with Virgil and Viva), he sought to capture in video what influences if any, the legendary hotel could have on his work.
Lamarre began shooting the "C." Tapes in 1983 and soon found a collaborator in Melissa Wolf. They met at an opening of the New Museum, which at the time was located in literally a closet at the New School. "The New Meu" as it was referred to was still burgeoning under the driving force of the Museum's founder Marcia Tucker. After imbibing too many cocktails during the after-party at the art world haunt "Danceteria" the two found themselves back at the Chelsea. The rest is history, Wolf became chief cameraperson and editor.
A footnote:
The Chelsea Tapes, though awarded at the San Francisco International Film Festival was NEVER screened at the festival. At the time the presenters explained to Lamarre that it was a "miscommunication" between two of the screening venues. But in actuality the work was censored due to what some wrongly perceived as pornographic content.
Please contact <eidiahouse@earthlink.net> for more information.
The Chelsea Tapes Screening Press History
2010
Alexandra Alisauskas and Paula Pinto, Guest Editors, “Aesthetes and Eaters —Food and the Arts”, Invisible Culture (IVC) Issue no.14 Winter 2010, InVisible Culture: An Electronic Journal for Visual Culture, University of Rochester https://ivc.lib.rochester.edu/introduction-issue-14-aesthetes-and-eaters/
2009 The Chelsea Tapes screened at CINEPOLIS, Hamburg Germany, September.
1993-1995 The Chelsea Tapes airs on “Night Lights” Manhattan Cable. EIDIA was invited to take over "Night Lights" from Ira Schneider (Raindance Foundation member) when Ira moved to Berlin. The half-hour weekly program also included individual performancers from FOOD SEX ART the Starving Artists’ Cookbook Archive, (now in the collection of the Getty Museum and the Getty Research Institute). The 160 plus artists cooking were edited and presented once weekly on Friday nights for three years.
1987 The Chelsea Tapes screened at the Brighton Film & Video Festival, Brighton, England. October 22-November 15.
1986 Video screening The Chelsea Tapes, Anthology Film Archives, New York. "The Chelsea Tapes" and "The Wedding Tape", Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, New York. Department of Cultural Affairs, Arts Apprenticeship Program, City Gallery, New York. San Francisco International Film Festival, San Francisco, California and broadcasted on Manhattan Cable Television via Ira Schneider's "Night Lights", New York City.
1985 Video broadcast The Chelsea Tapes via "Night Lights" Manhattan Cable Television. Screenings: Timothy Greathouse Gallery, East Village New York City; 8 B.C., East Village, NYC. The Chelsea Tapes - Artist in Residence: Experimental Television Center, Owego, New York.
1984 The Chelsea Tapes screened at: Pan Arts "Arts and Ego" exhibition New York; Cable Television via Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, New York; R.A.W., Real Art Ways, Hartford, Connecticut; White Columns, Manhattan, curated by Tom Solomon; and Avenue B Gallery, Manhattan.
The Chelsea Tapes (TRT 00:51:15) is a series of 26 video vignettes forming an autobiographical diary of Lamarre's extended stay at Manhattan's infamous and famous Chelsea Hotel. The Chelsea Tapes was awarded Best Non-Narrative Video at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1986, and can be found in numerous collections, including the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) in London, and the Staedlijk Museum in Amsterdam. The Chelsea Tapes was also awarded The Kitchen Media Bureau Grant in 1984 and 1985.
The back-story:
Lamarre's stay at the Chelsea Hotel (initially planned for three months evolving to be nearly 2 years) was enabled by a fellowship in 1982 from Creative Arts Program Services (CAPS) for his multi-media/video/performances: Baking Bread and From The Adult to the Child.
Inspired by the fact that luminaries the likes of; Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, Viva, and Sid Vicious took up residence at the Chelsea (Lamarre would occasionally share the elevator with Virgil and Viva), he sought to capture in video what influences if any, the legendary hotel could have on his work.
Lamarre began shooting the "C." Tapes in 1983 and soon found a collaborator in Melissa Wolf. They met at an opening of the New Museum, which at the time was located in literally a closet at the New School. "The New Meu" as it was referred to was still burgeoning under the driving force of the Museum's founder Marcia Tucker. After imbibing too many cocktails during the after-party at the art world haunt "Danceteria" the two found themselves back at the Chelsea. The rest is history, Wolf became chief cameraperson and editor.
A footnote:
The Chelsea Tapes, though awarded at the San Francisco International Film Festival was NEVER screened at the festival. At the time the presenters explained to Lamarre that it was a "miscommunication" between two of the screening venues. But in actuality the work was censored due to what some wrongly perceived as pornographic content.
Please contact <eidiahouse@earthlink.net> for more information.
The Chelsea Tapes Screening Press History
2010
Alexandra Alisauskas and Paula Pinto, Guest Editors, “Aesthetes and Eaters —Food and the Arts”, Invisible Culture (IVC) Issue no.14 Winter 2010, InVisible Culture: An Electronic Journal for Visual Culture, University of Rochester https://ivc.lib.rochester.edu/introduction-issue-14-aesthetes-and-eaters/
2009 The Chelsea Tapes screened at CINEPOLIS, Hamburg Germany, September.
1993-1995 The Chelsea Tapes airs on “Night Lights” Manhattan Cable. EIDIA was invited to take over "Night Lights" from Ira Schneider (Raindance Foundation member) when Ira moved to Berlin. The half-hour weekly program also included individual performancers from FOOD SEX ART the Starving Artists’ Cookbook Archive, (now in the collection of the Getty Museum and the Getty Research Institute). The 160 plus artists cooking were edited and presented once weekly on Friday nights for three years.
1987 The Chelsea Tapes screened at the Brighton Film & Video Festival, Brighton, England. October 22-November 15.
1986 Video screening The Chelsea Tapes, Anthology Film Archives, New York. "The Chelsea Tapes" and "The Wedding Tape", Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, New York. Department of Cultural Affairs, Arts Apprenticeship Program, City Gallery, New York. San Francisco International Film Festival, San Francisco, California and broadcasted on Manhattan Cable Television via Ira Schneider's "Night Lights", New York City.
1985 Video broadcast The Chelsea Tapes via "Night Lights" Manhattan Cable Television. Screenings: Timothy Greathouse Gallery, East Village New York City; 8 B.C., East Village, NYC. The Chelsea Tapes - Artist in Residence: Experimental Television Center, Owego, New York.
1984 The Chelsea Tapes screened at: Pan Arts "Arts and Ego" exhibition New York; Cable Television via Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, New York; R.A.W., Real Art Ways, Hartford, Connecticut; White Columns, Manhattan, curated by Tom Solomon; and Avenue B Gallery, Manhattan.