It's been a pretty hectic day, huh? That's ok; your respite from reality has arrived and is ready for your viewing pleasure (if you are ready to receive it).
Free up 40 or so minutes of quiet time, time to breathe and to reflect, time to indulge in a bit of camp insanity - "camp" in the John Waters sense of the word - called "A Family Finds Entertainment" (2004), a piece of video art by Ryan Trecatin. If you can't make it over to Saatchi Gallery or the 12th Annual SF Underground Film Festival (in 2005) to see it live, check the viewing on YouTube, broken into five parts:
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y5AxLiUqC8
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN4Kk42eOVk
Part 3: (broken; if you have the hookup, let me know)
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObcDCDDJN8k
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPwbkjwIsGw
What to think; what to think?
"I'm not sixteen anymore, but I feel like I'm 5, with sunglasses on."
I'm not sure myself yet. haha. But for some reason I want to watch it again; my first viewing - after getting over the fact that I wasn't following a/the storyline - was, basically, me indulging in Mr. Trecatin's cut-up and drugged-out world in somewhat of a meditative state.. just taking in the sounds and the sights as-they-were, and letting my subconscious mind make all the decisions with respect to my likes/dislikes/whatevers. At the least, I can say that approach felt more comfortable; there was no pressure to "understand".
Yeah, so given that I could not derive a traditional linear story out of the flickering images and buzzsaw audio (although I'm not saying there *is* a traditional linear story to be found there, even with translation), I read some text by critics more in-the-know than me to help explain the goin's-on.
First up, Cool Hunting gives it to us quick and dirty, identifying "nods to Jack Smith and very early John Waters", and then Film Brats fills in a lot of the behind-the-scenes details, including an interview with the artist himself about his overall creative process. The Saatchi gallery finally spills the beans and says that "A Family Finds Entertainment" "chronicles the story of mixed up teenager Skippy and his adventures in 'coming out'". I bet someone told them that because the scene is abstract, indeed.
In any case, Ryan Trecartin has done a few other pieces of sculptural and installation work since his 2004 debut, but my impression is that he is still most well known for his video art. In fact, the NYTimes invoked his latest "sensationally anarchic video", "I-Be Area" (2007), in an article earlier this year that discussed a resurgence of video art:
Video Art Thinks Big: That’s Showbiz
By Holland Cotter
Published: January 6, 2008
Attentions to and definitions of these art things - things of meaning or not? - ebb and flow over the years (and we seem to be in a period of, um, openness to flow), but besides that bit of human tendency towards the novel-yet-familiar, we've never had easier access to the medium, with video-on-demand enabled via highspeed internet, powerful portable viewing devices and other such technologic fun. Given these conditions, has video's time come?; and will it find a solid audience - and advocates - in the established art community?
But, really, it's been a long day, so pay no mind to those whirling questions of society. For now, my advice would be to simply get yourself a Family and find yourself some Entertainment. A friend of mine was so kind to set me down this path at the start of this past week and now I'd like to shared the mind-altering wealth with all of you. Salud!
2 comments:
omg, shout out to me! nice one eric. yeah, video isn't an object really, so it's hard to sell. it's like writing a short story and printing an edition of 3 and trying to sell it for 15 grand a pop. distibution seems natural to the form. I guess I think video art should be marketed more like regular movies. i'd pay 5 bucks to see a 10 minute movie by ryan trecartin. it's only in galleries because it's a similar crowd, not because it should be sold like paintings. also, skippy is ryan.
Yes, the pussy is out of the sack - or so they say (wait, do they say that?).
Video art still needs the hubbub and perceived exclusivity of the gallery/museum, but I totally agree that it's time for some new avenues of distribution (and revenue generation). Maybe a gallery can have a video art subscription service (as opposed to pay-per-view in addition to events with screenings and/or live action goodies.
In any case, there looks like there are lessons from youtube and the multitude of video-on-demand services springing up for the video art world; this stuff needs an advocate/icon and the funding..
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