Pictured: Pinto (Left) works with a previous class. Photo by: Lance Ford Jones

Sarasota’s underground art scene breaches the surface this Friday at Nothing Arts Center with the inaugural show of the WET MASS series, bringing experimental and provocative performance art together in a new and raw space for the area’s adventurous art-goers. Six musical acts bringing varying and genre-defying styles ranging from “droning bubble-chant noise pop” to “dark ambient improv” will be performing in the outdoor space, and for Jose Carlos Zavarse Pinto it presented an opportunity to showcase his latest project – teaching a team of six young artists to build their own projectors, construct and coordinate images, and then improvise a live cinematic experience on the warehouse walls surrounding Nothing.

“Every time it’s a different experience and every time the films are completely different and exciting,” said Pinto, who learned the craft during his time at Ringling College and has led similar workshops before, culminating within venues such as Ringling Underground. By building their own projectors, the students get a more hands-on education in the art of filmmaking and the principles of optics, according to Pinto, as well as learning to appreciate the individual image. The projector is something in between a slide projector and a film projector, so students must be cognizant of both forms. Ultimately, said Pinto, “It’s taking ownership of your imagery.”

Using only FoamCore (a kind of compressed foam boards), magnifying glasses and LED lights, Pinto and the students build their projectors quickly, meeting only six days over the course of the three week workshop. During the remaining period, the artists collect imagery and figure out the “visual score” of their film, which must fit with the workshop’s theme - Florida Underwater – exploring the consequences of climate change and rising sea levels.

But this is no ordinary student showcase, and Pinto promises to bring it all together with flair on Friday. The six students will not show their films separately, but as one combined film or image, with all six projectors hitting the wall at the same time and the students forced to react to each other’s images with their own to create a living and extemporaneous film. “The images kaleidoscope amidst each other into some kind of synthesis of the idea of the movement,” said Pinto. “It doesn’t lead to something concrete, so it’s very open-ended.”

And what film would be complete without a soundtrack? During the screening, Pinto and a member of the band Voice Hoist, who will also be playing that night, take the stage to add just one more layer. “We’re going to be improvising and reacting to the images, and the images are going to be reacting to the music as well,” said Pinto. “I’m really excited to see what’s going to happen.”

The WET MASS series begins at 7:30pm at the Nothing Arts Center at 3910 Goodrich Avenue. Bands performing include: The Nihilistics, Voice Hoist, Skittish Arm, Vasectomy Party, Su Sous, Toulouse en Rouge and Dhouser. 

Pictured: Pinto (Left) works with a previous class. Photo by: Lance Ford Jones