AS one of the most influential artists of the late 20th century, Andy Warhol changed the way art and artists were perceived.
While best known for his pop art creations, Warhol was also a prolific filmmaker, recognised for his influence in expanding the genre of experimental cinema.
Between 1964 and 1966, about 500 short silent films known as Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests were shot in Warhol’s famous New York studio, The Factory.
His subjects, ranging from socialites to actors to unknowns, posed while Warhol filmed them with his 16mm Bolex camera on silent, black and white, 100-foot rolls of film.
Each Screen Test lasted two minutes, as long as the roll of film, and was subsequently projected in slow motion to last four minutes.
The Velvet Underground and Nico were the first to perform music to accompany these now iconic short films.
The Andy Warhol Museum wanted to recreate interest in these filmed pieces of history and recruited musical duo Dean (Wareham) & Britta (Phillips) – formerly of Luna – to put together a soundtrack to a new project entitled 13 Most Beautiful… Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests.
The New York-based independent songwriters were asked to choose 13 of Warhol’s screen tests and come up with an original soundtrack, which they would then tour, playing live in unique venues that could house both the audio and visual requirements.
The duo waded through 300 of the surviving screen tests to find the small selection they could turn into a cohesive piece of work.
“Getting it down to 13 took about six months,” Wareham said.
“Ultimately, we decided we wanted to focus on people who were a big part of The Factory between 1964 and 1966 rather than just some person who just happened to be there for the day, like Salvador Dali or Bob Dylan.”
Wareham said as they became immersed in Warhol’s world, it became more of a daunting project.
“We had to figure out what Andy Warhol would have liked to listen to, but here we are working on a film where the director is not there to give us any direction,” he said.
Even though Wareham has lived in New York City since 1977, he said he wasn’t really aware of Warhol’s work as a filmmaker until he embarked on this project.
“I think the screen tests are some of the most beautiful things he did,” he said.
“He is a towering figure and the most important artist of the second half of the 20th century and an important figure in the history of rock ’n roll.”
13 Most Beautiful… Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests is at the Astor Theatre on February 25 and 26.