Story: Kiwis overseas

Len Lye’s film ‘Colour box’ (2nd of 3)

Len Lye was one of New Zealand's most noted expatriate artists. He spent time in Australia and Samoa before reaching London in 1926. The British were soon intrigued by this bohemian artist who wore a lava-lava and produced abstract paintings, experimental films, batiks and sculptures. He pioneered experimental film-making by painting and scratching images directly onto celluloid film. His film ‘Colour box’ so impressed the judges at the International Cinema Festival in Brussels that they invented a category for it and awarded it a medal of honour. Len Lye moved to New York where he made a name for himself with his kinetic sculptures. He made return visits to the land of his birth in 1968 and 1977.

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The British Post Office
Reference: Flip & two twisters [videorecording]. Director/writer, Shirley Horrocks. Auckland: Point of View Productions, 1995

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How to cite this page:

Carl Walrond, 'Kiwis overseas - Small country syndrome', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/874/len-lyes-film-colour-box (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Carl Walrond, published 8 Feb 2005, updated 17 Sep 2014