Page 71 - Studio International - April 1973

Art information

Recent shows this reason, mediational characteristics of the exhibition for mounting an exhibition
have lesser credence in video than in film. which makes public an increasingly important
Because of the classification of the arts area of art activity. q
'IDENTIFICATIONS' AT THE HAYWARD GALLERY,
principally in terms of 'media', the physical ROSETTA BRoOKS
FROM 7—I 1 MARCH.
attributes are often regarded as defining
The recent video exhibition was selected from characteristics of the corresponding 'art'.
`ENGLISH DRAWINGS AND WATER-COLOURS FROM
works made in collaboration with Gerry Schum Videotape remains free of this to a greater
1550-1850, IN THE COLLECTION OF MR AND MRS
who has, since 1969, worked in a technical extent than film simply because of its recentness.
PAUL MELLoN' AT THE RoYAL ACADEMY DIPLOMA
capacity with artists whilst also running the TV Thus, when videotape is adopted by artists who GALLERIES, FROM 24 FEBRUARY-30 APRIL.
Gallery in Düsseldorf. Schum has organized two choose to represent certain physical
programmes for German TV, 'Identifications', characteristics in a recording medium whose own Paul Mellon, happy millionaire, owns all these
1970, and 'Land Art', 1969, though the 'mass — attributes remain relatively unconsidered, i.e. drawings, thousands besides, and Mill Reef too.
art' identity of those works shown has always neutral, it is more convenient than film. The drawings will soon be sent to stud at Yale's
remained merely contextual. The content of all The second category of Gerry Schum's proposed centre for the study of British art.
the videotapes has remained as esoteric and free productions relies not so much upon its This month the cream of them are indefectibly
of mass-value as most of the rest of art activity neutrality as a recording medium as on hung in the RA's Diploma Galleries. The
conducted in the medium of the plastic arts. developing video as an artistic medium in emphasis is on the century after 175o, before
The tapes shown at the Hayward, which exactly the same way as film, painting and the landscape tradition came to a halt at the
originate from the 'Land Art' show, are sculpture have recently been treated. These are brick wall of realist Pre-Raphaelitism, before the
predominantly documentaries of 'earth works' works which are quite manifestly concerned vigorous late academic classicism — that forcing
by the sculptors Barry Flanagan, Richard Long, with developing video not merely for recording house for eccentrics — totally disappeared.
Michael Heizer, Walter de Maria, Dennis purposes; they attempt to 'exhibit' the art object Turner, the last representative of both strains,
Oppenheim and Robert Smithson. The adoption in terms of the physical characteristics of is the hero of the show.
of videotape as a medium is thus merely videotape. The most obvious works in the But something about the smooth high quality
concerned with expediency in representing Hayward show which fall into this category are of the exhibits smothers independent thinking
sculpture which cannot normally be Keith Sonnier's Negative-Positive in which the about their relative merits, and the tussles of the
accommodated in art galleries, and cannot be mediational involvements which characterized period. The catalogue avoids such questions,
adequately represented by still-photographic recent painting are directly transposed into the which perhaps are vulgar. Indeed one rarely
means. Consequently Schum's videotape medium of videotape, while Jan Dibbets's 12 finds people in this field pointing to the real
productions have included a number of so-called Hours Tide Object with Correction of Perspective critical issues. Here is a crucial one: what we
'process' works in which the 'sculpture' very pursues the illusionism which has been a find in the watercolour/drawing activity of the
often involves a physical change. Ulrick manner of developing formal mediational period (and would find moi e clearly in a show
Ruckriem's Kreise, Ger Van Elk's Shaving of the explorations. Peter Roehr takes advertising not composed of isolated best examples) is a huge
Cactus, Mainus Boezem's Sand Fountain and images and slogans from American television gap between mere pleasant jobbery and works
Klaus Rinke's involvements with the physical such as 'Gulf — Your driving takes a turn for which evidence real power of imagination and
characteristics of water all fail into this class. the better' and repeatedly flashes them on to the intellect. To distinguish the poles of the two
The nature of the medium represents a screen. Mario Merz's Lumacca uses the surface types : the first, landscape or architectural
secondary consideration on the practical level of of the TV screen and stresses it in much the drawing mostly, is neat and formulaic. Always
expediency, cheapness and ability to reproduce same way as painting involved with 'problems of competent, its quality is measured by minor or
such sculptural concerns. Where the physical the painterly surface'. Each of these works, in minute adjustments of technical ability within
involvements of artists are so great, this different ways, transposes certain painterly set routines. Interest is maintained by different
category of work tends to be concerned not concerns directly into the medium of videotape. types of charm: or by topographical variation,
with the mediational characteristic of video but The final category of work in the Hayward different sorts of local quaintness. People within
with the physical characteristics reproduced in show, like the first, has adopted the medium of the pictures are always settled. Generally the
the content of this medium. Barry Flanagan's videotape for reasons of its neutrality (lack of weather too. In this camp we must place Wilson,
Hole in the Sea is a 'negative sculpture' in a art connotation) as a recording medium, and Cozens, Sandby, Rowlandson, Girtin, Cotman,
highly mobile environment and the video stresses only differs from the first category in subject Varley, Gainsborough, Constable. The second
its existence merely as a static component, and as matter in that it is aimed at recording events or sort of work is always quirkier, and is not seldom
perceptually apprehendable only by its performances rather than sculpture or the production of madmen. It employs the
interrelations with the more material sea which sculptural values. Examples of this kind of work whole of the post-Renaissance tradition, but
makes up its physical surrounds. have been contributed by Beuys, Baldessari, with the romantic urge for classicism. Legends
A conventional involvement of artists in the Gilbert & George, Gino de Dominicis and and ancient tales convey passionately figurative
past years has been an increasing concern with Gilbert Zorio. This category has the monopoly or symbolic content. This art, thriving on
mediational elements in the presentation of art of humour, if not downright eccentricity. extreme situations, never settles for being minor
works, and with the entailed contextual issues. G & G's Gordons Makes us Drunk tape shows or provincial. The weather is always dreadful, or
This much is common to all the arts which the pair consuming more than moderate soon will be so. In this camp we will place
themselves are separated by differences in amounts of the same beverage whilst at the Stubbs, Mortimer, Blake, Fuseli, John Brown
presentation or mediational characteristics. The same time chanting 'Gordon's makes us drunk, and (see Modern Painters, vol 5), Ruskin.
medium of film is no exception to this. Gordons makes us very, very drunk'. The Between the temperates and the immoderates,
Structuralist film making has consistently whole tape is accompanied by 'Land of Hope as I roughly schematize them, there are of course
sought to stress attributal characteristics of and Glory' and then by Grieg's 'Pier Gynt'. links and crossovers, men who worked on both
the medium of film. An adoption of the Unhappily the Hayward installation was sides. Turner alone encompasses and absorbs all
medium of videotape however, has marred by the lack of sound-proofing. But their concerns. He belittles others by the
comparatively little antecedence in art. For much credit should be afforded the organizers creative result of brilliant artistic generosity.
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