
Len Lye, Birth of a Robot, 1936
Courtesy of Shell Global and the Len Lye
Foundation. From material preserved and made
available by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
Len Lye’s Experimental Cinema
Len Lye Exhibition Film Series
- 5 Aug - 4 Dec 2020
- Len Lye Centre Cinema
- Daily Screenings
- 10:15 - 10:45 PM
- Free Entry
- All welcome
- No booking required
Screened in association with our latest Len Lye exhibition, The Absolute Truth of the Happiness Acid, the Len Lye Centre Cinema presents a short survey of the artist’s most well-known films.
A thirty minute-long showing of short films will be shown daily.
Screenings will alternate between two different programmes; one of works produced in the United Kingdom during the 1930s and another of films made in the United States during the 1950s.
Programme #1 Len Lye: British Films
Approximate running time: 32 minutes
These short, musical bursts of colour were commissioned by commercial and government organisations. Announcements from the British Post Office and advertisements from Shell Oil and Imperial Airways put Lye’s ground breaking film techniques in front of audiences of millions.
A Colour Box, 1935, 4 min
Courtesy of the Len Lye Foundation and the British Postal Museum and Archive from material preserved by the BFI National Archive and made available by Nga Taonga Sound & Vision
The Birth of The Robot, 1936
Courtesy of Shell Global and the Len Lye Foundation from material preserved and made available by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
Rainbow Dance, 1936
Courtesy of the Len Lye Foundation and The British Postal Museum & Archive from material preserved and made available by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
Trade Tattoo, 1937
Courtesy of the Len Lye Foundation and the British Postal Museum and Archive. From material preserved and made available by Nga Taonga Sound & Vision.
N or NW?, 1937
Courtesy the Len Lye Foundation and British Postal Museum and Archive from material preserved by the BFI National Archive and made available by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
Colour Flight, 1938
Courtesy of the Len Lye Foundation. From material preserved and made available by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
Programme #2: Len Lye: US Films
Approximate running time: 29 minutes
Lye’s American-made experimental films. Even without the support of a commercial sponsor, Lye continued to produce some of the most acclaimed pieces of experimental cinema. While still capable of astonishing feats of music and colour, Lye’s American works feature his acclaimed monochrome scratch films, recognised internationally as cinematic masterpieces.
Color Cry, 1952
Courtesy of the Len Lye Foundation. From material preserved and made available by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
Ariel’s Song, 1952
Courtesy of the Len Lye Foundation. From material preserved and made available by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
Life's Musical Minute, 1953
Courtesy of the Len Lye Foundation. From material preserved and made available by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
All Soul's Carnival, 1957
Courtesy of the Len Lye Foundation. From material made available by the Museum of Modern Art, New York and preserved by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision. Digital version courtesy of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery
Rhythm, 1957
Courtesy of the Len Lye Foundation. From material preserved and made available by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
Free Radicals, 1958
Courtesy of the Len Lye Foundation. From material preserved and made available by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision. Digital version by Park Road Post Production and Weta Digital Ltd.
Prime Time, 1958
Courtesy of the Len Lye Foundation. From material preserved and made available by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
Particles in Space, 1979
Courtesy of the Len Lye Foundation. From material preserved and made available by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision. Digital version by Park Road Post Production and Weta Digital Ltd.
Tar Farlow, 1980
Courtesy of the Len Lye Foundation. From material preserved and made available by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision. Digital version by Park Road Post Production and Weta Digital Ltd.

Len Lye, Rhythm, 1957
Courtesy of the Len Lye Foundation. From material preserved
and made available by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Len Lye, N or NW?, 1937 Courtesy the Len Lye Foundation and British Postal Museum and Archive from material preserved by the BFI National Archive and made available by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision