Raphael Montañez Ortíz
Raphael Montañez Ortíz (b. 1934, New York) is a multidisciplinary artist perhaps best known for his radical performances of the 1960s as part of the Destructivist movement which he helped to articulate. Not many know that he is also a pioneer of found footage cinema who deserves greater recognition within the American filmic avant-garde. Starting in 1957, he produced a number of singular works by subjecting 16mm prints of commercially- or institutionally-produced films to a cut-up method inspired by Yaqui shamanic practices, a kind of ritualistic chance operation intended to break down their structure and thoroughly undermine their discursive power. In the mid-1980s, Montañez Ortiz continued his critical deconstructions of commercial cinema, this time exploring a novel format: the laser disc. Having created a special interactive setup at the computer lab of Rutgers University, the artist transformed micro-moments from classic films into looping, stuttering choreographies that, through obsessive repetition, reveal the tacit gestualities and subconscious inner dynamics of these seemingly innocent Hollywood scenes.
Known for
DirectingBirthday
January 30, 1934Gender
MaleKnown Movie Credits
23Place of birth
Brooklyn, New York, USACast credits
Crew credits
Cowboy and "Indian" Film
Director, EditorGolf
Director, EditorHenny Penny: The Sky Is Falling
Editor, DirectorNewsreel
Editor, DirectorWhat Is This
Editor, DirectorThe Kiss
Editor, DirectorYou Bust Your Bunns
Director, EditorGonna Get Me a Gal
Director, EditorDance Number 22
Director, EditorThe Conversation
Director, EditorBeach Umbrella
DirectorOur Thoughts Are Made of Clay: The Horsewomyn of the Apocalypse
Editor, DirectorHere's Looking At You Kid
DirectorRitual Destruction of "Follow Through"
DirectorCouch Destruction: Angel Release
DirectorPiano Destruction Concert: Dada con Mama
Director