Video Art and Tele-Visual Culture

Video Art and Tele-Visual Culture

Graduate Division

San Francisco Art Institute

Spring 2009

Professor: Clark Buckner

Meeting time and place: Monday, 9:00 – 11:45, 3rd St. Lecture Hall

Office hours: By Appointment

Phone: 415.336.2349

Email:

In this course we will study the development of video as an artistic medium against the backgrounds of modern art and mass-communication. We will examine how artists first seized upon video both to challenge the conventions of fine art and to disrupt the dynamics of television viewing, and we will consider how this complicated situation of video between art, technology, popular culture, and social activism renders problematic any account of it in merely art historical terms. We will explore the diverse concerns of early video artists, and consider video’s particular relationships to performance, installation, sound, surveillance, social practice, and the politics of aesthetics. What particular possibilities does video present as a creative medium? How do video’s time-based character, its interactive dimensions, and its inherently inter-disciplinary nature inform its use and exhibition? How has video developed from a crude, largely anti-aesthetic art practice to a predominant fixture in contemporary galleries and museums, now frequently produced with large budgets? What are the implications for video art of the current proliferation of amateur video, its dissemination on the internet, and the emergence of other new media? And how does video, in its ubiquity, inform how we now picture ourselves, and our world?

Course Requirements: Students are required to complete course readings, regularly attend classes, actively participate in class discussions, and complete writing assignments.

Writing Assignments:

1. Three short (400-800 word) reviews of current exhibitions or other video. Short papers will count for 40% of your grade.

2. A final 12-15 page paper on a video artwork, a video artist, or an aspect of video as an artistic medium. This will count for the remaining 40% of your grade.

3. Attendance and class participation will count for 20% of your grade

Required Texts: - A History of Video Art: The Development of Form and Function,

by Chris Meigh-Andrews

- Other assigned readings will be available for downloading as PDFs at:

http://www.mission17.org/Texts.htm, (designated below as “on-line”)

Required Background Reading:

- “Avant-Garde and Kitsch,” Clement Greenberg, pp. 5 – 22 (on – line)

- “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” W. Benjamin, pp. X – XX (on – line)

On-Line Resources: Early Video Project, UBUWeb.com, LA Freewaves

Other Home Viewing (Films about TV, Documentaries, ETC…)

- “Network,” 1976, Sidney Lumet, feature film, 121 mins.

- “Videodrome,” 1983, David Cronenberg, 87 mins.

Syllabus

1. 01.26.09 Introduction: Towards a History of Video (Art)

Text: - “Introduction: Complexities of an Art Form,” Doug Hall and Sally Jo Pfeifer, from Illuminating Video, pp.13-27 (on-line)

Tapes: - A composite including advertising, commercial television, early video art, contemporary video art, surveillance, pornography, music video, etc.

2. 02.02.09 The Pre-History of Video Art

Text: - “In the Beginning: The Origins of Video,” A History of Video Art, pp. 5 – 18

- “Collage/De-Collage: Notes Toward a Re-examination of the Origins of Video Art,” John G. Hanhardt, from Illuminating Video, pp. 71 – 79 (on-line)

Tapes: - Documentation of selected early performances

- “The Strange Music of Nam June Paik,” TV Documentary

- “Waiting for Commercials,” 1972

- “Global Groove,” 1973

- “Merce by Merce by Paik,” 1978

Other works by Paik cited:

- “Exposition for Electronic Music – Electronic Television, 1965

- “Magnet TV, 1965

- “TV Bra for Living Sculpture,” 1969

- “TV Glasses,” 1971

- “TV Bed,” 1972

- “TV Garden 1974

- “Video Fish, 1975

- “Violin Dragging,” 1975

- “TV Rodin,” 1975

- “Video Buddha, 1976

- “Family of Robot, 1986

- “The More the Better, 1988

3. 02.09.09 Video and Commercial Media 1: Critique

Text: - “The Medium is the Message,” Marshall McLuhan, from Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, pp. 17 – 35 (on-line)

Tapes: - “Made for TV,” ??

- “Media Burn,” Ant Farm/T.R. Uthco, 1973

- “Eternal Frame,” Ant Farm/T.R. Uthco, 1973

- “TV Delivers People,” Richard Serra, Carlota Schoolman, 1973

- “About Media,” Tony Ramos, 1977

- “Tech. Trans.: Wonder Woman,” 1978, Dara Birnbaum

- “Excerpts and Euphoria,” 1983

- “Why I Got Into TV,” Ilene Segalove, 1983

- “The Perfect Leader,” Max Almy

- “Joan Does Dynasty,” Joan Baderman

Home Viewing: - “Specters of the Spectrum,” 2003, Craig Baldwin, 91 mins.

02.16.09 No Class for Presidents Day

4. 02.23.09 Performance 1: Video, Performance, and Conceptual Art

First Review Due

Texts: - “In and Out of the Studio: The Advent of Inexpensive Non-Broadcast Video,” A History of Video Art, pp. 149 – 164

Tapes: Painting / Studio Practice

- Hans Namuth Film of Jackson Pollack

- “Black and White Tapes,” Paul McCarthy, 1970 - 1975

- “Stomping in the Studio,” Bruce Nauman, 1968

- “Dog Biscuit in a Jar,” William Wegman

Conceptual / Phenomenological (… connects to installation)

- “Wipe Cycle,” Frank Gillette, Ira Schnieder (Raindance Corp.),

- “Baldessari Sings Lewitt,” John Baldassari

- “Performance, Audience, Mirror,” Dan Graham, 1975

- “Live-Taped Video Corridor,” Bruce Nauman, 1970

Performance / Theater

- “Video Roll,” Joan Jonas, 1972

5. 03.02.09 Performance 2: Video and Narcissism

Texts: - “Video: The Aesthetics of Narcissism,” Rosallind Krauss, pp. 50 - 64 (on-line)

- “Performance, Video, and the Rhetoric of Presence,” Anne M. Wagner,

pp. 59-80 (on-line)

Tapes: - “Now,” Lynda Benglis, 1973

- “Boomerang,” Richard Serra and Nancy Holt, 1974

- “Undertone,” Vito Acconci

- “Theme Song,” Vito Acconci

- “Open Book,” Vito Acconci, 1971

- “Pryings,” Vito Acconci, 1971

- excerpts from “The Red Tapes,” Vito Acconci

- excerpts from “Fresh Acconci,” Paul McCarthy and Mike Kelly

- “Take Off,” Susan Margolis

Other “Narcissistic” works Cited:

- “Room Service,” 1980, Tony Labat

- “Confessions of a Chameleon,” from Video Diary, Lynn Hershman, 1986

Home Viewing: - “Cremaster 4,” 1995, 42mins.

- “Mathew Barney: No Restraint,” 2006, documentary, 70mins.

6. 03.09.09 Video Imaging (Technology as Formalism)

Text: - “Beyond the Lens: Abstract Video Imagery and Image Processing,” A History of Video Art, pp. 110 - 146

Tapes: - Paik Again!

- excerpts from “Darkstar Man,” Stan Brakhage (film)

- Excerpts from WGBH’s “Video: The New Wave,” 1973

Including: Otto Piene, Douglas Davis, Jim Wisman, Dan Sandin, Richard Teitelbaum, Bob Lewis, William Etra, Stan Van Der Beek, Rudi Stern, John Godfrey, Ron Hays, Warner Jepson, Walter Wright, James Seawright, Donald Hallock

- “Calligrams,” Woody and Steina Vasulka, 1970

- “Illuminating Sweeney,” Skip Sweeney

- “Video Weavings,” Stephen Beck, 1976

- “Illuminated Music,” Stephen Beck,

- “5 Minute Romp Through the IP, Dan Sandin, 1973

- “Triangle in Front of Circle in Front of Triangle,” Dan Sandin, 1974

- “Video-Taping,” Ernie Gusella, 1974

- “Exquisite Corpse,” Ernie Gusella, 1978

- “Einstein,” Eric Seigel

- “Complex Wave Forms,” Ralph Hocking

- “General Motors,” Phil Morton

- “Three Transitions,” Peter Campus, 1973

03.16.09 No Class for Spring Break

7. 03.23.09 Video as Social Activism / Social Practice Second Review Due

Text: - “Technology, Access, and Context: Social and Political Activists and Their Role in the Development of Video Art,” A History of Video Art, pp. 59 - 70

- “Attention! Production! Audience – Performing Video in the First Decade, 1968 – 1980,” Chris Hill, Open Source, posted on The Early Video Project, (http://207.56.97.90/index.html)

Tapes: I. Activism

- Excerpts from WGBH’s Video: The New Wave, 1973

Including: Angel St. Nunez

Fred Simon

- “Mayday Realtime,” David Cort and Curtis Ratcliffe, 1971

- Selected Tapes, Peoples Video Theater, 1970 – 1971

- Women’s Liberation March, NYC

- Gay Pride March, NYC

- Young Lords Occupy Manhattan Church, NYC

- Native American Action at Plymouth Rock

- “Participation,” Woody and Steina Vasulka, 1969 – 1971

- “Laughing Alligator,” Juan Downey, 1979

II. Home Video (As Feminist: The personal is political)

- “The Politics of Intimacy,”

- “My Father,” Shigeko Kubota, 1975

- “Primal Scenes,” Linda Montano, 1980

- “Semiotics of the Kitchen,” Martha Rosler, 1975

Other artists cited: VideoFreex, Raindance, Chris Bratton, Irene Segalov,

Home Viewing: “Four More Years,” Top Value Television (TVTV), 1972

8. 03.30.09 Projection and Installation

Text: - “Off the Wall: Video Sculpture and Installation,” A History of Video Art, pp. 243 - 260

- “The Gallery Opens Its Doors: Video Installation and Projection,” A History of Video Art, pp. 199 – 214

Tapes: - Paik Again!

Theater

- “What Where,” 1983, Samuel Beckett

“Grand Mal,” Tony Oursler

“Judy,” Tony Oursler, 1994

Architecture

- Dan Graham

- “Drought Table,” Charles Glick

- “Paper Shuffle: Climbing the Walls,” Ray Beldner 1992

- “The Language of Volcanoes: Pompeii Revisited,” Ray Beldner

- “Sip My Ocean,” Pipilotti Rist, 1996

- “Ever Is All Over,” Pipilotti Rist, 1996

- “Regenfrau (I Am Called a Plant),” Pipilotti Rist, 1999

9. 04.06.09 Bill Viola and Gary Hill

Texts: - “The Frequency of Existence: Bill Viola’s Archetypal Sound,” Rhys Davies, in The Art of Bill Viola, pp.143 – 159 (on-line)

- “The Metaphysician of Media,” Chrissie Iles, in Gary Hill: Selected Works and Catalogue Raisonné, pp. 16 – 30 (on-line)

Tapes: Gary Hill

- “Full Circle,” 1978

- “Soundings,”1978

- “Around and About” 1980

- “Incidence of a Catastrophe,”

Bill Viola

- “Sweet Light,” 1977

- “Migration,” 1976

- “Reflecting Pool,” 1977 – 79

- “Ancient of Days,” 1980

10. 04.13.90 Music Video Third Review Due

Text: - “Musique Concrete, Fluxus, and Tape Loops: The Influence and Impact of Sound Recording and Experimental Music on Video Art,” A History of Video Art, pp. 89 - 100

Tapes: - “Ziggy Stardust,” Concert Film, David Bowie, 1973

- “Rebel, Rebel,” TV Performance, 1974

- “Oh, You Pretty Things,” TV Performance, David Bowie, 1979

- “Ashes to Ashes,” Music Video, David Bowie, 1980

- “One Minute Movies,” The Residents, 1979

- “The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise,” Devo, 1979

- “Through the Room,” Doug Hall, 1983

- “The Commission,” Woody and Steina Vasulka, 1983

- Excerpts from “Music with Roots in the Aether,” 1976, Robert Ashley

- Excerpts from “Perfect Lives,” 1983, Robert Ashley

- “Somewhere in Michigan,” Cecelia Condit, 1983

Other Works Cited: “Video Quartet,” 2002, and other works by Christian Marclay

Home Viewing: “Four American Composers: Robert Ashley,” Peter Greenaway, 1983, (55’)

“Land of the Brave,” Laurie Anderson ??

11. 04.20.09 Video and Commercial Media 2: Post-Production

Texts: Selections from Post-Production, Nicolas Bourriaud, TBA (on-line)

Tapes: Douglas Gordon, 24 Hr. Psycho

Michelle O’Marah, Valley Girl

Michelle O’Marah, Velvet Underground

Others, TBA

12. 04.27.09 Surveillance

Text: - “Surveillance,” a series of short articles edited by Berin Golonu, in Artweek 31, #9, pp.13 – 19, written by Owen O’Toole, Alicia Miller, Berin Golonu, and David Goldberg (on-line)

Tapes: - “Suicide Box,” 1996, Bureau of Inverse Technology

- “Ocularis: Eye Surrogates,” 1997, Tran T. Kim Trang

- “Vital Statistics of a Citizen Simply Obtained,” 1977

- “The Rumour of True things,” 1996, Paul Bush

Other Works Cited:

- “Following Piece,” Vito Acconci, 1969

- “L’Hotel,” Sophie calle, 1981

- “L’Homme Au Carnet,” Sophie Calle, 1983

Home Viewing: - “Red Road,” 2006, Andrea Arnold, feature film, 113 mins.

13. 05.04.09 Video after New Media Research Papers Due

Text: - “Going Digital: The Emergence of Digital Video Processing and Effects,” A History of Video Art, pp. 261 - 276

Artists: Corey Archangel, Jim Campbell, Tim Hawkinson, Lynne Hershman Leeson, and Pierre Huyghe, Bob Ostertag and Pierre Hèbert, Phillipe Parreno, etc.

14. 05.11.09 Last Class??