2020 was a year of self-isolation and hyper digital networking to retain a social interaction. This year I have attempted to remain physically, mentally and professionally challenged. In the process I have been rehabbing my work space, producing art, attending Zoom meetups, a family Zoom-Mitzvah, shopping online and continuing piano lessons via Zoom with my teacher and colleague Dr. Akiko Konishi. This video though was meant share empathy with others spending this time in isolation.
Originally shot on location in 2009, this short captures a rainy season evening sitting on my friend Patti's balcony overlooking Parque Santana and the Cafe Coca cola in Panama City, Republic of Panama. The neighborhood itself is called "Casco Viejo," meaning old shell. It refers to itself as the old shell of Panama City from the Colonial period. Casco Viejo is alive with arts and life as a site for the city's greatest treasures such as the historic Opera Theater. Many new cafes, restaurants, and nouveau bars have sprung up in the last decade.
This is a short from Nelson's 80's exploration with auditory and visual degenerative analog video.
Originally filmed on Super8mm film, this work has been digitally re-mastered for online access. Mark Nelson's exploration with archeology and cultural myths was realized in this short with the help of two fellow artists friends, Kellerman a painter and Maszk a printmaker who improvised their roles under Nelson's direction. Nelson's preoccupation with archeology can be traced back to his youth excavating in the jungles and old town sites hidden in the Isthmus of Panama.Originally filmed in 1987 with Super8mm Bell and Howell Film camera. Intention was dialogue on Colonial revision of history through discovery and repackaging for the masses.
Nelson spent much of his youth diving as well as treasure hunting on this Island 12 miles off the Pacific coast in the Republic of Panama. In 2009 he returned at the invitation of his friend and his high school classmate Patricia Eugenia Smith (RIP) to use one if her residences on the island for a month.
A short animation
Performance by Nelson on the dry wash of the Painted Desert at the Petrified Forest National Park.