Melting Pot

by: John Sturgeon & Neil B. Rolnick

The United States is often described in school textbooks as a great Melting Pot. It is a country of varied ethnicities, a country of immigrants from all corners of the world. Its strength is said to come from bringing all these backgrounds and heritages into a great racial and ethnic stew, into a melting pot in which all the ingredients are combined and blended into a hybrid American culture. However, if the pot is left unattended, the stew will tend to burn, and the ingredients may not combine quite as smoothly as the chef had hoped…

Melting Pot presents a collage of complex images and sounds to depict the complex fabric of its subject. Video processing techniques are used to present multiple, overlapping visual layers, while digitally sampled and computer processed sound is used to build a musical texture which toys with layers of meaning and perception. The impact is simultaneously visually arresting, humorous, and distressing.

- Third Videonale, catalogue description

Video: https://vimeo.com/45645008

Melting Pot has had numerous exhibitions and broadcasts internationally, as well as represention in various museum collections. Exhibitions include appearances in: Third Videonale, Bonn, Germany (w/European tour), New Music America 1990, Montreal, Quebec and a 1988-90 PBS broadcast multi-year contract - New Television Series - (WNET-New York, WGBH-Boston, KCET-Los Angeles).

Credits: MELTING POT

A videotape by: John Sturgeon & Neil B. Rolnick

Vocals: The Trojan Horses

Music recorded at:

Studio PASS, New York City &

iEAR Studios, Troy, New York

Audio Engineering: Carol Parkinson, Paul Urmson

Video Post-Production: Dekart Video, New York City

Technical Editor: Dieter Froese

Additional Post-Production: Stand-by Matrix

Funding provided by:

Paul Beer Trust Mini Grant from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute &

Emergency Audio Services Grant from Harvestworks, Inc. New York