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  2. Videofreex Archive

Videofreex, one of the first video collectives, was founded in 1969 by David Cort, Mary Curtis Ratcliff and Parry Teasdale, after David and Parry met each other, video cameras in hand, at the Woodstock Music Festival. The group soon grew to ten full-time members--including Chuck Kennedy, Nancy Cain, Skip Blumberg, Davidson Gigliotti, Carol Vontobel, Bart Friedman and Ann Woodward--and produced tapes, installations and multimedia events. In 1971 the Freex moved to a 27-room, former boarding house called Maple Tree Farm in Lanesville, NY, operating one of the earliest media centers. Their innovative programming ranged from artists' tapes and performances to behind-the-scenes coverage of national politics and alternate culture. During the decade that the Freex were together, this pioneer video group amassed an archive of 1,500+ raw tapes and edits.

The Videofreex Archive, now housed at VDB, chronicles the counter-cultural movement of the 1960s and 1970s. The titles listed here are the early results of an ongoing project to preserve and digitize important examples of this early video art collective.

More About the Videofreex Archive Preservation

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Videofreex

Women’s Conference, Rochester

1971 | 00:18:04

Women’s Conference, Rochester

This tape, shot at the YMCA in Rochester, New York on July 18th, 1971, preserves the informal and communal atmosphere of an event known as the Women’s Conference.

Videofreex

Knitting and Feedback

1970 | 00:32:54

Knitting and Feedback

Eerily drifting through soft fades, superimposed images, close-ups, and visual feedback, this tape follows less a narrative structure and more a stringing together of seemingly random activities,…

Videofreex

Me's and Youse Variant

1971 | 00:01:22

Me's and Youse Variant

Less than two minutes long, this short tape makes playful and surreal use of video’s editing capabilities.

Videofreex

Selections from the Five Day Bicycle Race (Image Union)

1976 | 01:01:04

Selections from the Five Day Bicycle Race (Image Union)

A collage of informal interviews and short clips, this collection of material comes from guerilla TV excursions at the 1976 Democratic National Convention.

Videofreex

Lanesville TV News Buggy

1972 | 00:16:23

Lanesville TV News Buggy

“Trolling for news we call it,” says Bart Friedman a minute into this video, as he pushes down a road the Lanesville TV News Buggy – a baby carriage filled with video equipment, spilling over with…

Videofreex

The Swing

1972 | 00:17:20

The Swing

Simultaneously dark, surreal, and unnerving, this seventeen-minute tape is a stark departure from the usually playful productions of the Videofre

Videofreex

Lucy Montgomery

1969 | 00:35:41

Lucy Montgomery

In October 1969, the Videofreex visited the home of wealthy political and social activist, Lucy Montgomery, as she was hosting the Black Panther Party of Chicago during one of their most fraught…

Videofreex

Mrs. Bobby Seale

1969 | 00:20:45

No Image

In October 1969, the Videofreex visited the home of wealthy political and social activist, Lucy Montgomery, as she was hosting the Black Panther Party of Chicago during one of their most fraught…

Videofreex

Electric Yogurt

1970 | 00:32:27

Electric Yogurt

Electric Yogurt documents different modes of childlike play, beginning with footage of a group of people dancing together with arms outstretched against a background of growling, cooing,…

Videofreex

Hells Angels Party

1970 | 00:40:34

Hells Angels' Run

In a conversation with one of the Hells Angels at a party the motorcycle gang has thrown in Manhattan, the interviewee introduces “Kenny, from the Videofreex” to his friends, commenting (…

Videofreex

Lanesville TV: January 26th, 1973

1973 | 00:20:23

Lanesville TV: January 26th, 1973

On January 26, 1973, the Videofreex’s installment of Lanesville TV (Channel 3) consists of an interview with a follower of the Divine Light Mission, a semi-religious organization lead at the time…

Videofreex

St. Marks: New Years Eve

1970 | 00:22:40

St. Marks: New Years Eve

St. Marks: New Years Eve combines political commentary with non-narrative segments that celebrate the medium of video.