Video Art: 1960s-80s
Video art is a form of art that uses visual recordings to express oneself creatively. Video art emerged during the 1960s when film equipment became more accessible to the general public. Before Sony released the Portapak filming equipment was only accessible to studios. Video art is often used for political expression and artist experimentation. Video art can scale from flashing images/words on a screen to scripted films. Experimental film and performance art have big tie-ins with video art.
The 1960s were the beginning of Video art as a creative form. This caused video art of this era to tie in with other art forms such as experimental film, Fluxus, conceptual art, and performance art. This era of video art was filled with innovators who used the newly widely accessible medium of video capturing to create abstract pieces of art. In the 1970s video art was much the same as the 1960s. Many of the artists were the same and while there were some advances as technology improved and the art form widened it was pretty similar in what was being made. As video editing technology and how we told stories through film evolved, video art evolved with it. In the 1980s video art started to hold more narrative though non-linear pieces were still popular. Explorations of psychology became a big topic in video art. Interactive elements also started to be used. While not necessarily considered to be traditional video art, the 1980s was the rise of MTV and music videos. During this era musicians would go all out of videos for their songs. From 13 minute music videos like Michael Jackson's Thriller (1982) to live action and animation mixing ones like Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer (1986) these music videos at core have very similar values to video art.
Nam June Paik is widely considered to be the founder of video art. He started as a member of the avant-garde art movement Fluxus in the early 1960s. This is where he started using tv stacking in his sculpture work. Nam June Paik used television sets as almost a canvas. He would put them in a format and play clips on the screens. TV Cello (1976) showcases Nam June Paik’s art perfectly. This piece consists of 3 TVs mixed with parts of a cello (such as the strings, tailpiece and bow) to create an almost futuristic cello. The piece was then “played” by a performer (originally Charlotte Moorman). Nam June Paik had a knack for taking technology, something cold and rigid and turning it into lively and creative art pieces.
Charlotte Moorman performs with Paik's 'TV cello'
While Andy Warhol is best known for his pop art Warhol also made over 600 films. He is also considered one of the original artists to experiment with video art. In Andy Warhol's Films like Eat (1963), Sleep (1964), and Empire (1965) he would take actions that were common to see in films but stretch them out to the actual amount of time they take. He also did films that were more scripted later on such as Flesh (1968).
Peter Campus is considered a pivotal video artist. With most of his video art he adds an interactive piece to amuse and take the viewer on a journey. This makes him a pioneer for his time. For example in his piece Anamnesis (1973) one stands in front of the screen and sees theirself but in a delayed image. The point of this piece is to mess with one's sense of time.
peter campus, "Anamnesis," 1973
Joan Jonas started as a performance artist in the mid 1960s and went on to video art in the 1970s. Her work is considered feminist art. Her art often explores female identity and uses the technological quirks of video to enhance her message. For example in Vertical Roll (1972) she uses a television malfunction of the same name to enhance the dance performance she is doing on screen. In the film she focuses on certain aspects of the performer's body while continuing the vertical roll.
JOAN JONES - VERTICAL ROLL 1972
Cecilia Condit is a video artist who started making video art in the 1980s. She uses the art form to explore the dark themes of femininity and female sexuality making what she calls feminist fairytales. She is most known for her musical horror short Possibly in Michigan (1983). The film follows two women being stalked who eventually kill and dispose of their stalker. This piece has an amazing use of atmosphere, story telling, camera/shot work, and music to give off a horror vibe.
Australian video and installation artist Valie Export also has some great pieces. Her art focuses on the human body as a bearer of information. Her piece Facing a Family (1971) is roughly 5 minutes of a family staring at the camera as though they are watching TV. This video gives the viewer the feeling that they are being watched by the family. Value Export also did quite a bit of feminist art.
1971 Valie Export Facing a Family
The Fluxus art movement was very important to video art seeing as it birthed it. Fluxus was an avant-garde art movement that started in the 1950s with the goal to break the boundaries of art and life. Fluxus also did not have a general art style. What brought all the artists in this movement together was the belief that art should be accessible to all and break the boundaries art had in place. Video art has similar core beliefs to the Fluxus movement. Both movements also relied on the viewer's ideas of the piece to make it meaningful.
Video art has a huge tie in with the feminist art movement. Many women video artists use the artform to explore female identity and feminist values. Whether that be looking at the actual female body or looking at women's roles in society. Jonas Jones, Cecilia Condit and many more used video art as a way to explore femininity. Many of the pioneers of the video art movement were also women. Ulrike Rosenbach was one of the first video artists to produce closed circuit pieces. Overall female artists invested heavily in video art to express their femininity.
By Galen Barr
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