Participation

Shortly after they arrived in the United States from Prague in 1965, Steina and Woody Vasulka began documenting New York City's underground theater and music scenes with a portapak. Steina has remarked that she learned the craft of camerawork as documentarian of these celebratory, countercultural scenes of the "sexual avant-garde." These excerpts from Participation feature a performance by an anonymous rhythm & blues group led by a young, charismatic singer, a pulsing light show projection at the Fillmore East, and a scene from Off-Broadway drag theater.

The original total running time for this piece is 30:00. An excerpt of this title (4:37) is only available on Surveying the First Decade: Volume 2.