Introduction

In today’s media climate, everyone has some familiarity with high quality TV. One of the significant recent developments in television has been the rise of the serial program – those so-called “bingeable” shows that need to be followed in sequence since they tell an ongoing, gradually developing story. This structure has allowed television to reach new heights of character development and plot sophistication such that it often rivals novels and cinema in terms of its degree of artistic depth. Most people have a favorite TV show, and for many it’s a serial program. So for this assignment, you will pushed toward more experimental forms. Below is a list of videos. 

Assignment

1. Peter Campus, Three Transitions: see the textbook for a brief discussion of this piece.

Three Transitions Peter Campus (Links to an external site.)

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1. Bill Viola, Ascension: this 2000 piece by celebrated video artist, Bill Viola, is like many of his works, in being both deceptively simple and visually arresting. https://thewadsworth.org/exhibitions/past/bill-viola-ascension/ (Links to an external site.)
2. Pipilotti Rist, Ever Is over All: Rist’s 1997 piece was an installation as well as a video. For a look at the video click the first link, to see how the installation looked in the gallery, click the second link. Rist’s striking scene, both shocking and funny, was quoted in a 2016 Beyoncé video, “Hold Up”.

Pipilotti Rist – Ever is Over All (Links to an external site.)

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/81191 (Links to an external site.)

1. Devo, Jocko Homo: beginning as art students, the band Devo were early experimenters with video as an art form. In this 1976 collaboration with Chuck Statler they explored a self-created mythology of devolution, or human regression into lesser types of beings. It is important to note that with works like this, Devo was not only a pioneer of the emerging punk/new wave in music, but were also pioneers of the music video which in 1976 was not yet an established form.

Devo – Jocko Homo (Links to an external site.)

1. Francis Alys and Rafael Ortega, Re-Enactment: in 2000, Ortega filmed Alys going into a store in Mexico City, buying a gun, and then walking the streets, openly brandishing the weapon until eventually being apprehended by police. This un-staged scene was afterwards repeated, this time with the participation of the police department. The work shows the original incident and its reenactment, side by side.

Commentary

Choose one of the videos that interests you, and post a commentary of at least 250 words.  Then post a short response to at least one of your fellow student’s commentaries. 

None of the videos above have a clear narrative but they all have a point they are making, a meaning that they are trying to communicate. First, describe the video you have chosen, explaining what it shows and listing the details that seem most important to you. Next, try to explain it.  For instance, what does the video seem to be saying? What point is it trying to make? What issues does it want you to think about? Is it taking a critical stance? Is it urging you to see something in a new way? Does the video’s imagery suggest anything to you? How does it appeal to your senses? 

It might be helpful to compare the video to another art form, such as television, photos, or paintings, or even poetry. Keep in mind, this is not for you to compare your preferences between video art and other art forms, but rather is a way for you to see how video art differs in its intent and approach. Feel free to use any visuals, such as screenshots, that you think would help make your point or add to the visual appeal of your post.