Page 48 - Studio International - September 1974
P. 48

Projekt '74                                                                                 of an international community of
                                                                                                     avant-garde artists. The stone rolls
          On the credit side :1) there were                                                          on, gathering no moss.
          seven signatories to the press release;                                                      A lot of money was disbursed in
          the organizational work was well                                                           Cologne, where the shops are
          spread, and there was no feeling, as                                                       stuffed with consumer goods and the
          there has been at most previous                                                            equivalent of a quart of gnat's piss
          events of this kind, that however                                                          costs the equivalent of £1. Vast
          incompetent the organization,                                                              amounts were very evidently spent
          however sloppy the decision-taking,                                                        to the benefit of some local
          someone was building a career on it                                                        equipment hire firms ; apart from the
          all ; 2) there's always the Walraf-                                                        plethora of TV sets and video cameras,
          Richartz Museum, where you can                                                             there was at least one colour-video
   REVIEW
          see a few superb Cézannes, a late                                                          camera and a video projector (hired
          Rembrandt self-portrait, Miss                                                              to produce an effect which would no
    6
          O'Murphy (though not, alas, when I                                                         doubt have been regarded as trivial at
          went) and all kinds of other delights,                                                     the appropriate kind of trade fair).
          plus (coming down a few levels) a                                                          Artists were also paid to produce
          good selection of Johns and                                                                'new work' for the show. I don't
          Rauschenberg, together with the                                                            know how they sorted out who got
          bulk of the Ludwig Collection, to                                                          how much. Just what sort of
          show that the art of the sixties wasn't                                                    criteria would you use ? Artists also
          all bad (though Ludwig has                                                                 got paid air fares and a per diem
          obviously bought his share of                                                              allowance to 'install work' and attend
          rubbish).                                                                                  the opening. Again (apart from the
                                                                      Photos: Rodney Staines
           Cologne's Projekt 74 was due to                                                           A Et L contingent) I don't know
          last from 5 July to 8 September. The                        'this new artistic medium ... hardly   who got paid how much or why.
          avant-garde bit was staged in the                           has anything in common with    How long do you need to be there
          Kunsthalle/Kunstverein complex                              public television'. Another 'artform'   to install your work if all you're
          under the title 'Kunst bleibt Kunst'                        thus matures into isolation. Two   going to do is walk about with a
          ('Art's Art for a' that'). A large poster                   rooms were reserved in Cologne for   striped pole, or hang one painting ?
          at the entrance displayed this legend                       apparently continuous screening.   Does everyone get paid according
         against a magnificent                                        On the day after the opening these   to how far they have to travel ?
          Götterdämmerung sunset —the work                            rooms were sparsely occupied by   (American artists always tend to
         of the only really professional painter                      sad-looking individuals watching   cost more, and usually they seem to
         associated with the exhibition, a                            interference on television sets.   stay at more expensive hotels.
         former publicist, under Albert Speer,                        'Private' instead of 'public' TV ?   Perhaps they need that extra
         for an earlier and more potent avant                         At what level was the 'art' accessible   degree of insulation from life.) Does
         garde.                                                       to them ? Certainly not in terms of   Art Er Language (for instance) count
           Around 115 artists are listed on the                       such daft notions about the   as 'one artist', or as two, or as
         back of the provisional catalogue, even                      'conservation', 'repetition' and   however many are actually involved ?
         if you count Art Er Language and                             'simultaneity' of 'time' as were   Well, er 	subject to negotiation.
         Phil Glass Er ensemble as one each.                          bandied about by the organizers in   A lot of continentals consider it
         (The complete catalogue, with                                justification for including video as an   terribly radical to have people
         artists' contributions, was due to                           'essential aspect for numerous   working as a group, but can't cope
         appear some time after the date of                           working groups at the beginning of   with the practical consequences.
         writing ; surprise, surprise, the budget                     the 70s'.                     Considering the extent to which
         had been overspent.) A few American                           'Time', 'Perception', 'Formal   the 'international art world' is
         artists withdrew in support of Hans                          Systems', 'Conceptual Systems',   predicated upon privatism, this
         Haacke — as part of a now familiar                           'Video' and 'Performance' were the   should surprise no one. The
         ritual in which institutions fail to                         various administrative areas into   'artists'- involvement-with-
         cope with ideologically null                                 which the world of art was divided   technology' aspect is depressing :
         'political' contributions, involving                         by the organizers. Given such   it's largely a matter of avant-gardists
         'revelations' which should surprise                          categories to work with, just what   ripping off expertise in circumstances
         no one, and Haacke has his cake and                          do you leave out? If what you claim   where they don't see any need to
         eats it—and I think some artists                             to do is to 'represent the art scene   acknowledge collaboration. This is
         got de-invited at the last moment,                           today' what parameters do you have,   not merely a matter of dependence
         though you'd have had to be pretty                           what sort of defence against   upon the 'technician' at the
         fanatical to mind. A supplementary                           mindlessness? None. The only   'realization-of-ideas' stage. When
         list itemizes over 100 video                                 problems are contingencies and the   one exhibitor's machine failed to
         occurrences, performances, concerts                          only decisions compromises.   produce the right display he took
         and films, with at least one event per                      There is a well-established tradition   the back off to look at the works ; it
         day during the course of the
                                                                      in events of this kind. They have   appeared to be the first time he had
         exhibition. In addition (I think)                            become self-generating. 'Op Losse   seen them and he was obviously
         a package was due to be purveyed                             Schroeven' (Amsterdam 1969),   baffled. (This is nothing to do with
         which had originally been put                               'When Attitudes become Form'
                                                                                                    'truth-to-materials' notions; it's a
         together by the video curator [sic]                          (Berne, Krefeld, London 1969),   matter of lousy labour relations.)

         of the Everson Museum of Art in                             'Documenta 5' (Kassel 1972) and   Half the equipment used was
         Syracuse, NY. This involves some                            'Contemporanea' (Rome 1973)    essentially domestic —ie not
         62 mostly North-American-based                              are among the antecedents. You'd   designed to such specifications as
         artists. Quite apart from this the
                                                                     think something would have been   might be considered appropriate to
         catalogue lists independent
                                                                     learned from experience, but   ensure adequate function in
         videotapes by 39 individuals.
                                                                     experience in these matters does not   critical operations over the course of
          Back in 1969 the late Gerry
                                                                     appear to have been much passed on :   two months. The result was that
         Schum put together his
                          'Land Art'
                                                                     one institution, one administration 	   from any time after the opening one's-  --
         programme in close collaboration
                                                                     after another has one go at putting on   first confrontation with the
         with the artists involved, and had it                       the definitive avant-garde     'technologically advanced' artwork
         screened over normal German
                                                                     exhibition. The same artists' names   necessarily involved sorting out
         television. Now, five years later, the
                                                                     crop up over and over again in a   whether it was functioning properly,
         Projekt press release, in introduction                      succession of social events    or malfunctioning, or simply not
         to the riches of video, boasts that                         apparently staged for the benefit    switched on. Only too often the
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