1. First, as requested earlier, post your response to Peggy Awhesh's Martina's Playhouse.
I really enjoyed "Martina's Playhouse", it definitely had a home movie feel to it, this gave it that Punk vibe. Where they grabbed super 8mm cameras and most with little or no training and made films quickly and cheaply. It also reminded me Fluxus in the way that anyone can make a film or art and of Warhol how he set up the camera and let whatever happened just unfold in front of it.
Keller and Ward, "Matthew Barney and the Paradox of the Neo-Avant-Garde Blockbuster"
2. What has changed in the gallery art world that allows Barney to describe his work as “sculpture”? In other words, how has the definition of sculpture changed since the 1960s, and why?
Since the late 60's,performance art has developed out of and in relation to sculptural practices- principally minimalism-leading to the destabilization of sculpture as an object both (physical and discursive). this dissolution of sculpture has been enormously productive of and for performance, so while Barney's claim to his films generative effects relies rhetorically on the instability of sculpture as a category, to claim performance-and film- as sculptural, and to see them as " a family of objects", as Barney doe, might be curiously retrograde. Also, The props that Barney crafted for his "films" are sold as sculptures to collectors or Museums such as the Guggenheim.
3. Tricky but important question: Why was minimalist sculpture seen as a reaction against the “modernist hymns to the purity and specificity of aesthetic experience”? In other words: Why do they say that minimalist sculpture is post-modernist?
Minimalist sculpture is minimalist in a similar way of Warhol or Fluxus. They all believe in the process being more important than the actual art itself, but in different ways. Sculpture is more about the emphasis on physicality and endurance and what it takes to actually accomplish a finished piece, which in turn makes the art making process more important than the art. Warhol and Fluxus filmmakers were about setting up the camera and letting things unfold naturally in front of it.
4. Describe the role of the body in the works of Vito Acconci and Chris Burden. You may wish to consult the following links to supplement the descriptions in the readings:
The role of the body in the works of Acconci and Burden were part of the art itself. They sought to push there bodies to limit while making art. Such as getting shot in the arm in "Shoot" and sitting on the ladder for 6 hours in an attempt
to save themselves from electrocution like seen in "220". Their works were mediated performances that emphasized duration and endurance over commodificaton.
http://www.ubu.com/film/acconci.html
http://www.ubu.com/film/burden.html
5. In the opinion of the authors, what are the key differences between performance art of the 1960s/1970s and Barney’s Cremaster cycle? What do they mean by the term "blockbuster" in relation to the gallery art world?
They call their works "Blockbuster" in relation to the gallery art world because of the
high production cost and the elaborate, eye popping sets and props used in the making of these films. Also the protagonist of these films goes through many struggles and pains in their films to end up victorious in the end like seen in the Cremaster films. This is similar to the blockbuster films of Hollywood.
Walley, "Modes of Film Practice in the Avant-Garde"
6. What is meant by “mode of film practice”? Give two well known examples of non-experimental modes of film practice. Why does Walley argue that the concept of the mode of film practice can help distinguish between the experimental film and gallery art worlds?
The term "mode of film practice" refers to the cluster of historically bound institutions,
practices and concepts that form a context within which cinematic media are used.
The authors note that a mode of film practice is not limited tot he aims and methods of production, but extends to distribution, venues of exhibition and viewing strategies that characterize each mode and distinguish one from another. Art cinema and Hollywood films are two famous examples of non-experimental modes of film practice. The contrast between the two modes extends to the aims behind behind the aesthetic and circumstances under which they can be seen and understood.
7. What are some of the key differences between the experimental and gallery art worlds in terms of production and distribution?
As far a production goes for Experimental the projects are more personal, independent, amatuer, or artisanal. Film historian Ed Small calls experimental filmmakking "radically acallaborative" meaning the filmmaker not the director, writer or cinematographer controls every aspect of the films production. Beginning with the initial idea all the way through post, basically the filmmaker is in control.In Avant-Garde cinema, film is the center of the artistic practice.Artists' film production has become increasingly collaborative since it emerged as a recognizable category of film art in the 1960's. Some work even approaches the the scale of mainstream filmmaking,such as Matthew Barney's, Cremaster series.
In artists' cinema, film is one medium among many, they are often part of a body of related works in a variety of media. Like sculptural objects, photographs, drawings, woven pieces and musical recordings just to name a few.
In regards to distribution Experimental uses some commercial practices of distribution, like rentals, which don't bring in much money for the filmmakers. Art gallery films are more aimed at being sold rather than rented, which can lead to the economic success of these artists.
2. What has changed in the gallery art world that allows Barney to describe his work as “sculpture”? In other words, how has the definition of sculpture changed since the 1960s, and why?
Since the late 60's,performance art has developed out of and in relation to sculptural practices- principally minimalism-leading to the destabilization of sculpture as an object both (physical and discursive). this dissolution of sculpture has been enormously productive of and for performance, so while Barney's claim to his films generative effects relies rhetorically on the instability of sculpture as a category, to claim performance-and film- as sculptural, and to see them as " a family of objects", as Barney doe, might be curiously retrograde. Also, The props that Barney crafted for his "films" are sold as sculptures to collectors or Museums such as the Guggenheim.
3. Tricky but important question: Why was minimalist sculpture seen as a reaction against the “modernist hymns to the purity and specificity of aesthetic experience”? In other words: Why do they say that minimalist sculpture is post-modernist?
Minimalist sculpture is minimalist in a similar way of Warhol or Fluxus. They all believe in the process being more important than the actual art itself, but in different ways. Sculpture is more about the emphasis on physicality and endurance and what it takes to actually accomplish a finished piece, which in turn makes the art making process more important than the art. Warhol and Fluxus filmmakers were about setting up the camera and letting things unfold naturally in front of it.
4. Describe the role of the body in the works of Vito Acconci and Chris Burden. You may wish to consult the following links to supplement the descriptions in the readings:
The role of the body in the works of Acconci and Burden were part of the art itself. They sought to push there bodies to limit while making art. Such as getting shot in the arm in "Shoot" and sitting on the ladder for 6 hours in an attempt
to save themselves from electrocution like seen in "220". Their works were mediated performances that emphasized duration and endurance over commodificaton.
http://www.ubu.com/film/acconci.html
http://www.ubu.com/film/burden.html
5. In the opinion of the authors, what are the key differences between performance art of the 1960s/1970s and Barney’s Cremaster cycle? What do they mean by the term "blockbuster" in relation to the gallery art world?
They call their works "Blockbuster" in relation to the gallery art world because of the
high production cost and the elaborate, eye popping sets and props used in the making of these films. Also the protagonist of these films goes through many struggles and pains in their films to end up victorious in the end like seen in the Cremaster films. This is similar to the blockbuster films of Hollywood.
Walley, "Modes of Film Practice in the Avant-Garde"
6. What is meant by “mode of film practice”? Give two well known examples of non-experimental modes of film practice. Why does Walley argue that the concept of the mode of film practice can help distinguish between the experimental film and gallery art worlds?
The term "mode of film practice" refers to the cluster of historically bound institutions,
practices and concepts that form a context within which cinematic media are used.
The authors note that a mode of film practice is not limited tot he aims and methods of production, but extends to distribution, venues of exhibition and viewing strategies that characterize each mode and distinguish one from another. Art cinema and Hollywood films are two famous examples of non-experimental modes of film practice. The contrast between the two modes extends to the aims behind behind the aesthetic and circumstances under which they can be seen and understood.
7. What are some of the key differences between the experimental and gallery art worlds in terms of production and distribution?
As far a production goes for Experimental the projects are more personal, independent, amatuer, or artisanal. Film historian Ed Small calls experimental filmmakking "radically acallaborative" meaning the filmmaker not the director, writer or cinematographer controls every aspect of the films production. Beginning with the initial idea all the way through post, basically the filmmaker is in control.In Avant-Garde cinema, film is the center of the artistic practice.Artists' film production has become increasingly collaborative since it emerged as a recognizable category of film art in the 1960's. Some work even approaches the the scale of mainstream filmmaking,such as Matthew Barney's, Cremaster series.
In artists' cinema, film is one medium among many, they are often part of a body of related works in a variety of media. Like sculptural objects, photographs, drawings, woven pieces and musical recordings just to name a few.
In regards to distribution Experimental uses some commercial practices of distribution, like rentals, which don't bring in much money for the filmmakers. Art gallery films are more aimed at being sold rather than rented, which can lead to the economic success of these artists.
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