Unit 35 task 1 Eid Al Maliki
Introduction
This report is to showcase my understanding of video art and its
potential in an exhibition space. In order to do so I shall
firstly define what a video installation is and provide a summarized history of
video art. After which I shall analyse the work of two video installation
artists and try to provide a comparison. This will allow me to complete the
main objective of this report. To top it of this will contain a conclusion on
the report to help me further my knowledge on the subject providing me with a
wider range of ideas and inspiration for my own video installation video.
What is a video installation art?
Video installation is
a contemporary art form
that combines video
technology with installation art, making
use of all aspects of the surrounding environment to affect the audience; this
is how it is defined on Wikipedia. Video installations also lead to the
creation of video art in the early 1970’s, which over time became popular with
both the public and wannabe practitioners of the art as digital video
technology became more accessible to the general public. The idea of video art
is to reach out to its viewer using multiple medians such as sound, space and
moving images. Sound can be used to set the mood of a video i.e. playing calm
music provides a more relaxed feel to the video while a more violent sound
track will intensify the audiences awareness. Sound can also be used in the
form of narrative explanation i.e. having someone speak during the video to project
a specific message. Space is another key part of video installation this can be
utilized in a various number of ways. The video can be filmed in a specific
location or multiple locations that usually tend to have one thing in common,
however the space in which the video was filmed is not always necessary,
sometimes the space the video is projected onto is the space that is utilized
by the video creator. A good example of someone who projects his videos is Tony
Oursler. Using a projector he projects various images (usually of the human
body i.e. the eyes and mouth) onto various objects such as balloons and cups
and then places those objects in a space to complete the desired effect. Moving
images are probably the most noticeable part of a video installation art
especially for those who are new to the experience, however in video
installation art the images can be very abstract as to the message it is trying
to get across. A video may try to emphasize the exploitation of a particular
race by government officials, but it would try to do this by using the image of
a crying baby.
Two
different artists
Tony
Oursler.
Example of his work;
Tony Oursler is one of the leading video installation artists of his
time. He was known for a number of video installation art works, but I shall be
using his “Face to Face” videos and exhibition as a reference in this report. The
exhibition “Face to Face” is considered a labyrinth of odd and deranged masterpieces
all created by the one artist Tony Oursler. The “Face to Face” videos are a
collaboration of multiple facial features, such as the eyes and mouth that are
filmed individually and are later utilized in the exhibition space. Tony
Oursler does not use the median of space in his videos, but rather projects his
videos onto a space in order to create the “Face to Face” effect. He used his
own genuine idea of projecting the images onto a three-dimensional object
bringing the object and image to life, forcing a more realistic perspective onto
the viewer. He uses speech as a narrative guide, for those who are watching the
videos in the exhibition, rather than music to set the mood. In fact in one
particular video during the exhibition he utilizes color scheming and
narration in order to link a particular colour to an individuals mood i.e. if
his face was painted red he would be angry and if his face was green he would
act envious. In order to achieve a three-dimensional effect the images were
projected onto rounded objects such as coffee mugs, balloons and even
inconsistent undefined shapes i.e. a model of a paint blob. I believe that Tony Ourslers use of space is
very unique and creative especially considering that during the time of its
creation no one had used the same idea before him. Using simple apparatus
such as a camera, projector and multiple objects to project the
images on, he created a number of loony masterpieces. I also found that his use of narrative speech in relation to colour
schemes divulges a clearer meaning from his video while still portraying a feel
of lunacy. Tony Ourslers work "Face to Face" is exhibited in a number of Galleries around the world. One exhibition that can be found in London is the one at the Lisson Gallery.
Bill viola.
Examples of his work;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNCVoRv4Vn4
Audience
Bill viola.
Examples of his work;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNCVoRv4Vn4
Bill Viola is
considered a leading figure and role model in the realm of contemporary video
installation art. He is a new aged practitioner of the art form and his work
differs greatly from that of Tony Ourslers not in quality, but in form. He uses
more modern forms of technology and software as well as sound and new aged
media in order to project the purpose of his videos. He has created a number of
works that are exhibited in a number of galleries around the world, however for
this report I shall be using his exhibition “Earth, Wind, Fire, Water” as a
reference, which can be seen at the ST Pauls Cathedral. Like many of his works
of art Bill viola has built this piece while focusing on a specific fundamental
human experience. In this case his inspiration was death or to be more
specific, death by each of the four main elements. Each video involves a person
in a room experiencing the full fury of a specific element. The videos utilize
a slow motion effect in order for the viewers to be able to see what is
actually happening to the person in the video. The background is black so the viewer’s
entire attention is focused on the person undergoing the ordeal of an element.
Considering the nature of the exhibitions inspiration, it can be said that the
exhibition could be depicted as a very dark and depressing piece that relates
more to the harsh realities of human experience. In terms of space, Viola used
it very differently in his “Earth, Wind, Fire and Water” exhibition than
Ourlser did in his “Face to Face” exhibition. Firstly Viola did not use the
space provided for his exhibition to do much, he just aligned four vertical
screens up against each other, which when looked at as a whole can be depicted
as a horizontal screen. For Viola it was more the use of space or rather the
lack of use of space in his video that made a difference in its exhibition.
Violas intention was to make sure the viewer’s attention was solely on the
person undergoing the ordeal with no distractions. In order to do so he used
lighting techniques to highlight the person and the element in the scene while
using a black background. When experiencing the exhibition you will notice that
each person is in different pose. I believe that this was done to better
highlight the effects of each element i.e. for wind you can see a person being
rocked back and forth while clinging to a rope. Violas use of modern day
technology has given me a greater perspective on what video installation art
can look like. His use of space has also opened my eyes to a range of
techniques that I can use to get the best out of my video installation art.
The above is a basic table that showcases the bases of audience theory. Both Bill Viola and Tony Oursler manage to target more than one social group when creating their exhibitions and videos. A method I have noticed they use to accomplish this is to not be direct or specific with the message that they try to divulge. By making the videos intentions vague they allow for the viewer to interpret it their own way. Some would say doing this nullifies the use of this table, because it could just be claimed that the exhibition is directed at everyone, which would be correct if it was just a video with no meaning, however these installation videos are skilfully created to divulge a meaning very subtly in order to achieve as large an audience as possible while still allowing the viewer to interpret it their own way.
Ourslers "Face to Face" exhibition can be targeted at people with mental cases i.e. the mad who see the world in the same way the videos are projected at the "Face to Face" usually those of the lowest social grade or those in the working classes can relate to the different moods and perceptions of the world while under stress i.e. what you see at the exhibition.
Violas "Earth, Wind, Fire and Water" exhibition was created utilizing one of the Fundamental human experiences, death. This means his exhibition can, in someway, relate to everyone who watches it while still allowing the viewer to interpret it in his or her own way.
Conclusion
Experiencing the exhibitions between these two different artists has taught me that whatever your inspiration for a video installation art is you still have to asses the basics of the video space, both in production and post production, images and sound. You must also be aware of the equipment you need before hand and find out how you shall utilize it in as many ways possible. Aside from practical knowledge, I have also learned how to use space in more ways than one and how to create a wide target audience for my video installation art. Upon viewing a number of exhibitions I have learned a few tricks that can be used to get the best out of my videos. After completing this essay my knowledge and experience with video installation art has increased greatly. In addition to this it has also allowed my inspiration to blossom and my creativity has begun to picture possibilities in more ways than one.
Other video installation videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDuvLc_FAXE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDRFDdhdxvI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3EKu4Tj6Fg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5-SmngOoaQ
Ourslers "Face to Face" exhibition can be targeted at people with mental cases i.e. the mad who see the world in the same way the videos are projected at the "Face to Face" usually those of the lowest social grade or those in the working classes can relate to the different moods and perceptions of the world while under stress i.e. what you see at the exhibition.
Violas "Earth, Wind, Fire and Water" exhibition was created utilizing one of the Fundamental human experiences, death. This means his exhibition can, in someway, relate to everyone who watches it while still allowing the viewer to interpret it in his or her own way.
Conclusion
Experiencing the exhibitions between these two different artists has taught me that whatever your inspiration for a video installation art is you still have to asses the basics of the video space, both in production and post production, images and sound. You must also be aware of the equipment you need before hand and find out how you shall utilize it in as many ways possible. Aside from practical knowledge, I have also learned how to use space in more ways than one and how to create a wide target audience for my video installation art. Upon viewing a number of exhibitions I have learned a few tricks that can be used to get the best out of my videos. After completing this essay my knowledge and experience with video installation art has increased greatly. In addition to this it has also allowed my inspiration to blossom and my creativity has begun to picture possibilities in more ways than one.
Other video installation videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDuvLc_FAXE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDRFDdhdxvI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3EKu4Tj6Fg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5-SmngOoaQ
