Bill Etra
Acting
Biography
Bill Etra was born on 27 March 1947 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He was a live video pioneer and the co-inventor (with Steve Rutt) of the Rutt/Etra Video Synthesizer. He was a director and actor, known for Lady of the Lake (1974), Street Scenes (1970) and Super Vision (1976). He was married to Rozalyn Rouse. He died on 26 August 2016 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA.
Known For
Two protest rallies against the Vietnam War that took place in May 1970: the Hard Hat Riot on Wall Street in New York City and Kent State/Cambodia Incursion Protest in Washington, D.C.
Street Scenes 1970
A tortuous journey, in the company of the Spanish painter Salvador Dalí, around the figure of the enigmatic and visionary French poet Raymond Roussel (1877-1933).
Raymond Roussel: The Day of Glory
"Video by Bill Etra, early to mid 1970s, perhaps at the WNET TV Lab?"
Grumbles
Avalon is a real-time animation made to demonstrate the possibilities of Bill Etra's prototype digital video synthesizer that he, at the time, called "The New Machine". Set to Django Reinhardt's "Avalon".
Avalon
Reclined underneath a bedsheet, Louise Etra reads an excerpt from chapter 3 of Legman's "Oragenitalism: Oral Techniques of Gential Excitation". Visual effects done on the Rutt-Etra synthesizer.
Tales from Beneath the Sheets
Set to Holst's Mars, the Bringer of War, Bill Etra's original performance on 9 B&W monitors was shot in real-time on 16mm color film by Woody Vasulka. The 16mm film added some unexpected and welcome color effects that lend themselves to the composition and the choice was made to leave them in.
Mars: An Optic Aspic
While performers Frankie and Annette are going new wave and even punk, they find out that the old tunes and attitudes are not completely washed away.
Beach Blanket Armageddon
A narrative self-discovery theme done in real time in Art Nouveau style.
Narcissicon
An early work by Bill & Louise Etra, with Peter Crown. Made with biotelemetry equipment and video synthesizer at the TV Lab, WNET, NYC.
Heartbeat
"A substantial late work by Bill Etra". A "fast version" also exists.
How to Scramble The Cosmic Egg's
Bill Etra's "Abstractions on a Bedsheet" was made with the Rutt/Etra Video Synthesizer under PDP11-10 computer control. Bill said that the climax took as long as the rest of the piece to compose and program.
Abstractions on a Bedsheet
This is a documentary about video artists Bill & Louise Etra, Woody & Steina Vasulka, and Kit Fitzgerald & John Sanborn.
Group Portrait: Six Artists in Video
Made by Bill and Louise Etra with the Rutt/Etra Video Synthesizer in 1974. "A short piece of Gothic horror."
Lady of the Lake
Computer/ video interface piece by Bill and Louise Etra with Dr. Lou Katz.
Ms. Muffet
An early work by Bill and Louise Etra.