Topless Cellist (Charlotte Moorman) (1978)
By Nam June Paik
Nam June Paik's first single-channel videotape since 1989 is a heartfelt tribute to his long-time collaborator Charlotte Moorman. This portrait traces Moorman's career as an avant-garde performer, from her classical training to her notorious arrest as the "Topless Cellist" and subsequent talk-show celebrity. Rare documentations of Moorman's performances include Otto Piene's Sky Kiss and Jim McWilliams' Chocolate Cello. Interviews with Moorman's friends, family and collaborators, such as Yoko Ono, Christo and Jeanne Claude, Otto Piene, and Barbara Moore, among others, provide intimate recollections of the inimitable Moorman. Editor: Janice E. Young. Coordination/Music Producer: Stephen Vitiello. Researcher: Maria Rosa Fort Brescia. Interview Camera: Howard Weinberg, New York; Sandra Robert, Little Rock; Vin Grabill, Boston; Your Media Image, San Diego. Archival Video: Nam June Paik, Electronic Arts Intermix, Vin Grabill, Jud Yalkut, Otto Piene, Larry Miller, Paul Garrin, Andrew Gurian. Archival Photographs: Peter Moore, Charlotte Moorman Archive, Andrew Gurian & Barbara Moore, Fred W. McDarran, Otto Piene, Andor Orand, Arkansas Democrat Gazette, NYC Dept. of Sanitation, Rene Bloc…
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