Anthony McCall (London, 1946), one of the most important representatives of the avant-garde movement in the visual arts and cinema of the 70s, is currently exhibiting his Solid Light Films and Other Works in EYE Amsterdam – as we wrote here. The exhibition can still be visited until 30th November, but those who are unable to make it to Amsterdam, can now order a book published by nai010 that explores McCall’s massive body of work. In his art, McCall investigates the most elementary parts of cinema: light and projection. Ever since the 1970s he has gathered a remarkable oeuvre consisting of drawings, performances, space filling light projections aka the ‘solid light films’. These sculptural installations are both breath-taking in beauty and simplicity. nai010 has now released a publication that features an interview with McCall by Maxa Zoller, an essay by Luke Smythe and a text written by McCall himself – all complemented with a wide array of original drawings that formed the basis for his artworks and pictures of the installations in museums.

The book gives a unique insight in McCall’s philosophy and is a must-have for those who loved the exhibition. The book is available at nai010.com/mccall for €19.50.

For those who can’t get enough of Anthony McCall’s work (that includes us) there is a temporary EYE at Trouw that exhibits the artist’s work ‘Line Describing a Cone’. Head over to Amsterdam night club/restaurant/cultural hotspot Trouw between 9-19 October to discover one of McCall’s first ever pieces. ‘Line Describing a Cone’ consists of a beam of white light that is emitted from a projector at the end of a dark hall. The projector lets circulate images from an animated film that exists of a thin line that forms a complete circle frame by frame. In 30 minutes, this line follows the outline of a circle on the wall, while the beam takes the shape of a hollow cone. Together with smoke machines, this evokes a shape that looks almost tangible. For this installation, Marco Sterk (aka Young Marco) created a soundscape based on a Shepard-Risset glissando in which the sound suggests an endless cycle of increasing tones and chords. The soundscape communicates with the experience of the work in a very special way.