NUM031
Album cover

Celestial Navigations

The Short Films of Al Jarnow

Tens of millions of people have seen these short films, but very, very few know the name of their maker. Still, via wee-hours reruns and nostalgia-based YouTube forwards, filmmaker Al Jarnow has touched uncounted lives, shifting our perceptions of the world and movement without us ever knowing. Beginning with his work for a certain public television show featuring a big yellow bird, Al Jarnow boiled reality's minutia down for easy consumption between cookie-eating monsters and counting vampires. Coupling time-lapse, stop motion, and cel animation with simple, everyday objects, Jarnow deconstructed the world for an entire generation. Delving into New York's avant-garde film scene alongside Harry Smith, Jonas Mekas and Stan Brakhage, Jarnow created a body of awe-inspiring films that remain in the collections of MOMA and Pompideau Center.

Celestial Navigations marks The Numero Group's maiden foray into the world of cinema. The 45 films collected have been transferred and color corrected from the original 16mm prints, along with fully remastered sound. There's a 30-minute documentary on Jarnow's creative process, as well as film playlists designed for both children and adults alike. Deluxe package includes a 60-page book loaded to the gills with essays, ephemera, storyboards, photos, and a complete film index, all housed in the iconic Numero slipcase. DVD is region-free.

Track List

  1. The Owl & The Pussycat
  2. Scratching & Painting On Film
  3. Yak
  4. Tondo
  5. Four Quadrant Exercise
  6. Rotating Cubic Grid
  7. Autosong
  8. Digging To China
  9. Map Projections
  10. Perspectives
  11. Shorelines
  12. Facial Recognition
  13. Cubits
  14. Cosmic Clock
  15. Cosmic Letter
  16. Cube
  17. Jesse: The First Year
  18. Skeletons
  19. Architecture
  20. Bench, River, And Train
  21. Pegboard
  22. Plans & Elevations
  23. Incidence Of The Northern Moon
  24. Orange
  25. Real Cats Drink Milk
  26. Earth Works
  27. Moving Day
  28. Celestial Navigation
  29. Shell Life
  30. Dinosaur Matrix
  31. Rocks
  32. Academy Leader Variation
  33. Computer Test
  34. Number Rap #17
  35. Ocean
  36. Litter Rap
  37. Ake & Ch
  38. Letters O, P, And R
  39. Paper Origami
  40. Floor Tiles