It would be unfair to name one artist only as being the pioneer in video as a form of art. The fact is that, after embracing new forms,influenced by film, dance, performance and theater, artists either emerging from, or reacting to pos-Abstract Expressionism choose video to express their ideas. This was only possible after Partapak, the first portable and relatively affordable, camera was launched in 1965.
- Antoni Muntadas (b.1942, Spain)
Video is Television?(1989)
I believe the titles made this film easy to be understood as well as the fact that Muntadas is well known for using his videos and media installations to criticise the main stream media.
- Dara Birnbaum(b.1946, USA)
Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman (1978-79)
According to Michael Rush* this film was made '…to counter the banal and sensational images of women presented in popular television shows.'
I don't get it!
- Klaus vom Bruch(b.1952, Germany)
Propeller Tape(1979)
For those who don't know (I didn't), the yellow cast face introduced on this video belongs to the artist.
- Nam June Paik(1932-2006)
Global Groove (1973)
'…an hallucinatory barrage of images appropriated from television and magazines that mimics media saturation…" - Michael Rush*
Although I enjoyed the video, mostly because of the music and the video techniques, I can't see how it mimics media saturation.
Screening session 13/01/2014
Silence(1998), Tana Ross
Ferment(1999), Tim Macmillan
Blight (1996), John Smith
The Man with The Beautiful Eyes(2000),
Jonathan Hodgson
Jonathan Hodgson
Boderline (2006), Alex Chandon
(couldn't find these videos online)
-Why Do You Think I Left? (2001)
-Dancing with Men (2003)
Oreet Ashery
After watching all these films, I dived video art in sub-categories:
The ones that aim both to maximise the perceptual potentials and explore the capability of the medium: Boderline and Ferment. I would also include in this sub-category some of the Nam June Paik's work.
The ones with a conventional and easy-to-follow narrative: Silence, The Man with The Beautiful Eyes
The ones with a non-convetional form but that I'm still able to understand: Blight.
The ones which I haven't got a clue what they are about: The three films by Oreet Ashery. Regarding Why Do You Think I Left? I don't see any meaning behind the exposure in which the artist has put herself and her relatives.
Maybe because I don't understand the films in this category, they are the ones which have drawn my attention the most. Can anyone understand what the artist wants to portray? Do we need to have any knowledge, beforehand, about an artist and his/her work in order to fully understand it? Maybe, one need to get familiarised with the video art 'language' to understand it.
Some artists are said to engage in cultural critiques using their art but, why don't they use a more conventional 'language'? This question led to Vito Acconci (1940, USA), who started his career as a poet and later transformed himself into a performance and video artist. These days, he works with a group of people in architecture projects.
(15:56) - He talks about 'Peoplemobile'
(26:27) - How can a piece displayed in a public space affect people?
The ones with a conventional and easy-to-follow narrative: Silence, The Man with The Beautiful Eyes
The ones with a non-convetional form but that I'm still able to understand: Blight.
The ones which I haven't got a clue what they are about: The three films by Oreet Ashery. Regarding Why Do You Think I Left? I don't see any meaning behind the exposure in which the artist has put herself and her relatives.
Maybe because I don't understand the films in this category, they are the ones which have drawn my attention the most. Can anyone understand what the artist wants to portray? Do we need to have any knowledge, beforehand, about an artist and his/her work in order to fully understand it? Maybe, one need to get familiarised with the video art 'language' to understand it.
Some artists are said to engage in cultural critiques using their art but, why don't they use a more conventional 'language'? This question led to Vito Acconci (1940, USA), who started his career as a poet and later transformed himself into a performance and video artist. These days, he works with a group of people in architecture projects.
(15:56) - He talks about 'Peoplemobile'
(26:27) - How can a piece displayed in a public space affect people?
In this interview he talks about his recent work
* Rush, M (2003), Video Art, USA: Thames & Hudson
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