When We Were Free

When We Were Free is a work of oscilloscope music that references the precarious role of computing in contemporary media transmission. It also continues the tradition of using visual music as a vehicle for sociopolitical commentary or opposition (e.g. Hans Richter). The process used to create the film alludes to technology and synesthetic cinema, facilitating a direct relationship between sound and image; the images recorded from the screen of the oscilloscope are created by the stereo audio heard in the film. The title is a reference to Milton Mayers 1955 account of the development of fascism in Germany in “They thought they were free.” It is meant to be an open question as much as a statement, not unlike the “what if” questions created by abstraction in other types of visual and poetic work.

When We Were Free is a single channel experimental animation, kinetic typographic film, and experimental stereo sound work. Created using LG OS5060A oscilloscope, digital video, audio and video production software. HD and 4K versions available.

Director Biography: Mark Franz is a designer, artist, and educator whose exhibitions and primary research projects involve the creation of interactive installations that reflect on issues of violence, dislocation, and other social constructions important in contemporary cultures. Recently this work has been exhibited as part of the PhxArtcade in conjunction with The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Art of Video Games presented by the Phoenix Art Museum in Phoenix, AZ and at the Leuphana Centre for Digital Cultures in Luneburg, Germany. Franz’s secondary research involves creating custom hardware and software for audiovisual performance and installation and references the art historical current of visual music commonly discussed as part of animation history. This work has been exhibited at Pixelerations at the Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University in Providence, RI, the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, IL and the Currents International New Media Festival in Santa Fe, NM. As the Chair of the Graphic Design area, in the School of Art + Design at Ohio University, Franz teaches courses in Graphic Design, New Media, Visual Systems, and Interaction Design.