Video Instillations

Video installation is a con- I cant think of any artist who Douglas Gordon is a Scottish Bill Viola is a current artist
temporary art form that com- has produced a more cogent artist. A lot of his works uses who produces video works.
bines video technology with symbol for our teetering material from the public Much of his work focuses on
installation art, making use of political present, when entire realm that has been altered. key human experiences such
all aspects of the surrounding countries are walking the He also creates performance as birth and death. His work
environment to affect the plank and taking the plunge, based work. One of his most The Crossing shows a man
audience. and we have no way of know- famous pieces is 24 Hour with wait falling on him get-
Video instilliations began ing whether the result will be Psycho. In this he used Alfred ting heavier until you cannot
in 1895 when the Lumiere a big splash or a big splat. Hitchcocks film Psycho and see him anymore then the
Brothers showed ten short -Holland Cotter slowed it down to play over water stops falling and the
films to a pubic audience. 24 hours. This instillation man is gone. The second vid-
Films then developed to This video is placed in front was played around an empty eo shows a man disappearing
being shown in cinemas to of a chair. There is then a white room. The video is pro- behind fire in the same way
large audiences, to then person sitting on the chair jected onto different screens that they do in the water. The
being shown in galleries in who follows the instructions. placed around the room. The instillation consists of two
a more interactive format. There is a CCTV camera set plain white walls and floor double-sided screens from
Artists nowadays specialise in up to record the person on mean that the audience only floor to ceiling.
video instillations. The artists the chair. There is then a TV focuses on the video as there
below all specialise in video behind the person where oth- is nothing to distract from it.
instillations. ers can watch them perform. This is similar to Vito Acconci
I think this is an interesting and Bill Violas mentioned
A narrative is defined as a technique because it is not works. The instillation follows
spoken or written account of just a video being shown the narrative of the film
connected events; a story. A or projected, but instead Psycho. The story has been
non-narrative contrasts this involves multiple videos and slowed down so it focuses on
as it does not create a story. is interactive as people can sit repetition and time in a way
on the chair. This piece would that the original film doesnt.
Some instillations are narra- appeal to a wide audience as The audience for Psycho was
tive such as Bill Violas work its interactive. The audience a young audience as this
The Crossing which tells the responded well to this instilla- is the audience for horror By using a high speed camera
story of a man crossing over tion as it was interactive. This films. As this is slowed down and 300 frames per second
from life to death. Other meant that less people ig- I believe that the instillation he was able to slow the video
video instillations such as nored it as they were able to would have a slightly older down and show more detail
Vito Acconcis Command get involved rather than just target audience as the youth than is visible by the naked
Performance are non nar- look at it. I think this makes are typically not very pa- eye. Many of his works use
rative as they do not tell a it work well as the audience tient. I like the fact that this slow motion to show time
story. Douglas Gordons 24 plays a role in the instillation. instillation is projected onto passing. This was also in an
Hour Psycho could be a non The rest of the room is very large screens so that there is empty room. The walls and
narrative piece as it primarily plain which makes the videos nothing else to look at. I think floors were all black and the
a commentary of time and the focus as there is nothing this is a good way to keep the only light came from the
repetition; however it could else to look at. audience engaged and works screens. This means the audi-
be classed as a narrative well. ence contemplates time and
instillation too as it tells the I am taking inspiration from death as Viola wanted.
story of Psycho. the empty room as I think
this would be good as there is We have to reclaim time itself,
Vito Acconci is an artist who nothing to destract from the wrenching it from the time is
produces art for video instal- video. Mine instillation how- money maximum efficiency,
lations. He began his career ever, will not be interactive. and make room for it to flow
as a poet before becoming the other way towards us.
a performance and video We must take time back into
artist in the late 1960s. He ourselves to let our conscious-
used himself as the subject ness breathe and our cluttered
for much of his work. In the minds be still and silent. This is
1970s he expanded into cre- Other mirrors around the what art can do and what mu-
ating video instillations. space, which reflect the film, seums can be in todays world.
Command Performance begin to seem like doors, as Bill Viola
was a video instillation he though you are looking at
produced. The artist shows a something happening in an-
video of himself giving com- other room, just out of reach. I am taking inspiration from
mands for a performance. -Laura McLean-Ferris these two instillations as they
have multiple large screens. I
think this is effective as all the
attention is on the screens.
I would like to use large
screens in my instillation as
it shows the video and is the
only focus of the audience.