Page 54 - Studio International - May 1973

In April of this year Schum intended to wind
Gerry Schum and existing only in this medium. The 'video up the video-gallery's activities with
object' was a self-contained artistic
demonstration, an immaterial work in a new Recouvrement-Effacement by Daniel Buren, for
style, in the creation of which the artist did not meanwhile a new avenue was opening up:
`The first to make productions, conceived by an have to rely on a cameraman, but could museums. Financially Schum was not covering
individual artist, especially for the video camera intervene in the pictorial event until it answered his costs. Because of the low price of video
and existing only in this medium'. his ideas. For those artists trying to get away cassettes (800-1800 DM, and originally half
from the rigid concept of 'a work' and seeking this), and because of the inherent
ideas and gestures, the expansion of space and reproducibility of the medium, most private
the extension of time, Gerry Schum opened up collectors held back, still taking a possessive
a new and ideal medium with videotape. He attitude to original works and their increasing
advocated strict technical standards as opposed values. Various incentives, such as free original
to that carelessness about picture quality which works with the cassettes, the issue of certificates,
has gained ground in artists' films since Warhol, limited editions and regular price increases,
valuing perfection all the more highly because - were of no avail. On the other hand the
unlike film - videotape is not worn out by use. It museums were taking an ever greater interest in
is characteristic of all his productions that they videos, so as to bring today's non-museal art to
arouse a heightened attentiveness through today's public - foremost among them the
extreme calm and minimal variations. Kaiser Wilhelm Museum in Krefeld, the
Over and above this Gerry Schum was able Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart, the Tate Gallery in
to reach the general public to an extent no London and the Stedelijk Museum in
avant-garde gallery has achieved. He persuaded Amsterdam.
German Television's First Programme to The Folkwang Museum in Essen had just
introduce a 'television gallery'. On I April 1969 built up a body of video equipment and was on
`Land Art', a 'television exhibition', was the point of giving Gerry Schum a firm contract
transmitted and viewed in the whole of for regular productions, which an association of
Germany and in neighbouring countries; it museums was then to promote on both the
contained productions by de Maria, Dibbets, national and the international level. Schum's
Flanagan, Hamish Fulton, Michael Heizer, ultimate aim was to reach the schools and thus
Richard Long, Dennis Oppenheim and Robert the teaching of art (which, in Germany at any
Gerry Schum died recently at the age of 34. It Smithson. All the main newspapers discussed it. rate, is much neglected), so bridging the gulf
was not until several days after his death `Identifications' followed in November 197o, between the general public and the avant garde.
that he was discovered in his caravan on also on the First Programme, with videos by Schum's death points up Düsseldorf's
March 23. The news has caused consternation, Beuys (Filz-TV), Alighiero Boetti, Stanley creeping decline. The Düsseldorf scene, as
both in Germany and abroad, for he was Brouwn, de Dominicis (Tentativo di Volo), presented at the 1970 Edinburgh Festival, could
recognized as one of the most persistent Gilbert & George (The Nature of our Looking), not be realized today. Many artists have
advocates of that art that strives to free Barry Le Va, Mario Merz (Lumaca), Klaus withdrawn to the country or moved to other
itself from the constraints of material. Despite Rinke (Inhalationen), Ulrich Rückriem (Kreise), towns (like Gerstner, Luther, Mack, Morgan,
the short span of his activity (only a few Serra, Sonnier, Lawrence Weiner (Beached) and Palermo, Polke, Rot, Rückriem, Spoerri,
years), Gerry Schum's name was already others. In addition there were single spots, Thomkins, Uecker, Walther and Wewerka). At
recorded in the Neue Brockhaus, the leading without commentary, between non-art the Academy the conservative painters and
German encyclopaedia, under the heading transmissions on the Third Programme; in sculptors of the fifties are ousting the
'Land-Art'. these, two seconds of Keith Arnatt's self- progressive minority. The activity of the
Born into a doctor's family on 15 September interment was shown, evening by evening, until galleries, with the exception of Konrad Fischer's
1938, he studied medicine at Tubingen, where he was completely buried. From Christmas 1969 two, has fallen off noticeably. Karl Ruhrberg,
he founded the student film club, and after his until the New Year Dibbets's TV as a Fireplace founder of the Düsseldorf Kunsthalle, has seen
pre-medical went to the Filmakademie in Berlin. concluded the day's television transmissions. the signs and left for Berlin. He has a worthy
What dissatisfied him about the film medium Schum's artistic conception could not be successor in Jurgen Harten, it is true, but the
was the chronological separation of production reconciled with the bureaucratic side of authorities are reducing their subsidies, as is
and reproduction. In making his first television television, so he went over to independent happening all over the country, since there is no
film about multiples it occurred to him that productions and set up the Videogalerie Gerry image to be won through art as there was in the
electronic video recording, which was being Schum in Düsseldorf. What Schum had been days of Pop Art. The Dusseldorf art world has
used increasingly in television, enabled the the first to recognize was summed up at always prided itself on helping everyone and on
end-result to be shown immediately and the `Prospect - Projection' and confirmed as a showing much greater solidarity than its
picture to be continuously controlled via world-wide artistic trend towards film and counterparts in other intrigue-ridden art towns.
monitors. Schum wanted to adapt this to the video. (Studio International ran four It must now admit that a man who worked with
use of the then up-and-coming Land- and reproductions of the Galerie Schum's 'video practically all the artists brought together at the
Process-Art, about which at the time only objects' in December 1971.) A good part of his Fridericianum in Kassel under the heading 'the
photos and retrospective documentaries were programme was also to be seen at 'Documenta 5' Art of Ideas' - artists whose principal activity is
available. and at the Kolner Kunstmarkt '72. In addition exactly to thematize and objectivize their
The most decisively significant thing was that to the artists already named, with whom he personal problems - that this very man was
Schum did not film anything pre-existent and continued to work, he showed new videos (some alone with his personal problems. It is just such
made no documentaries about artists or works, of them films transferred to video) by Acconci, realizers who are often seen only as a function,
as had been customary up to then. Inspired by Calzolari, Darboven, Knoebel, Nauman, Roehr, not as a person. q
films made by artists themselves, he was the Salvo and F. E. Walther; among his particular GEORG JAPPE
first to make productions, conceived by an favourites were Folding Hat by John Baldessari
individual artist, specially for the video camera and Papier by Rainer Ruthenbeck. (Translated from the German by John Wheelwright)
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