1936 - Montreal, Quebec
1986 - Montreal, Quebec
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Arthur Lipsett made a series of highly influential experimental films in the early 1960s. His creative approach was mostly based on assemblages of picture and sound elements recovered from the NFB studios' waste bins. 

After studying fine arts in Montreal, Lipsett was hired by the NFB in 1958 to work in the animation studio, where he was an assistant to Norman McLaren, among other positions. For his first film, he began by putting together a soundtrack using diverse audio fragments, simultaneously seeking sonic textures and associations of ideas. Friends suggested that he add visuals. As he had done for the sound, he created a collage of pictures found here and there in the editing rooms' trim bins, and the result was a seven-minute short film, Very Nice, Very Nice, released in 1961. It was well received, and was nominated for an Academy Award^®. Using similar techniques, Lipsett then made 21-87 (1963), Free Fall (1964) and A Trip Down Memory Lane (1965). These first four films are generally considered to be his most fully realized, and form the core of his oeuvre. Their sensory effects seem to stem both from an intuitive process and a precisely structured mechanics of montage. In them, Lipsett depicts the disillusionment of modern life, subverting the original contexts of the found images and sounds to articulate an incisive critique of Western society. Ultimately, though, these works are not discursive or political: they have a more inexpressible, emotional quality born of images anchored in the subconscious, a palpable anguish and a degree of spirituality. Lipsett also made a documentary consisting of interviews about experimental cinema, titled simply Experimental Film (1962). 

The young filmmaker was struggling, though, with psychological instability. He soon found it increasingly difficult to see his projects through and to function within the institutional confines of the NFB. He continued working on commissioned work, mostly as an editor, and managed to complete two other personal films, Fluxes (1968) and N-Zone (1970), before leaving the Film Board.

With his mental health continuing to deteriorate, he made only one more film, Secret Codes (1972); two other projects would remain unfinished. Arthur Lipsett took his own life in 1986, at age 49.

 » See also:

The Arthur Lipsett Project: A Dot on the Histomap, documentary by Eric Gaucher, 52 min, 2007.
Remembering Arthur, documentary by Martin Lavut, 90 min, 2006.
Lipsett Diaries, animated film by Theodore Ushev, 14 min, 2010.
Arthur Lipsett, Brett Kashmere, in Senses of Cinema, 2004: http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/directors/04/lipsett.html
Arthur, entry in the Canadian Film Encyclopedia's Film Reference Library, Toronto International Film Festival Group: http://canadianfilmencyclopedia.ca/index.asp?layid=46&csid1=2738&navid=89 Lipsett

Arthur Lipsett on Wikipedia
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Lipsett

Arthur Lipsett at IMDB.com
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0513750/

 Filmography
Very Nice, Very Nice, 1961
Experimental Film, 1962
21-87, 1963
Free Fall, 1964
Animal Altruism (Psychology Topics for Discussion Groups series), 1965
Animals and Psychology (Psychology Topics for Discussion Groups series), 1965
Fear and Horror (Psychology Topics for Discussion Groups series), 1965
Perceptual Learning (Psychology Topics for Discussion Groups series), 1965
The Puzzle of Pain (Psychology Topics for Discussion Groups series), 1965
A Trip Down Memory Lane, 1965
Fluxes, 1968
N-Zone, 1970
Secret Codes, 1972

» Watch films by Arthur Lipsett at NFB.ca