Bruce Conner

American assemblage artist and filmmaker
American, (1933–2008)
American artist active in San Francisco was first known for his assemblages made of discarded and seemingly decaying objects. He studied at Wichita University and the University of Nebraska, Lincoln where he received a BFA 1956. He also studied at Brooklyn Art School, and the University of Colorado. He was a prolific filmmaker, and was a pioneer in the use of "found footage." Most of his films are constructed from images shot by others and cut to new soundtracks, including popular or underground music. His film "Crossroads" was made entirely with official footage shot of a hydrogen bomb test in the Bikini Atoll set to a soundtrack by Terry Riley. Many of his films are considered precursors to what would become the music video genre. In the 1960s, Conner began making highly detailed ink drawings, referred to as the Mandala Series. In the 1970s and 1980s, concurrent with his filmmaking, he would create two-dimensional collages from 18th and 19th century etchings. He created large-scale photograms of human figures, and a series of black and white photographs documenting underground music in San Francisco during the late 1970s. His later work often incorporated obsessively created inkblots on paper, made with an accordion fold technique.