Ray Privett & James Kreul, “A Cinema of Possibilities: Brian Frye Interview”
--How does Frye relate his work (including his film programming) to the following movements / concepts / genres:
Performance (and performance art)
Minimalism
Fluxus
Frye really only delved into performance art when he was at art school in Chicago. Performance was popular there, but Frye himself didn't take performance art seriously. He made a film entitled "Brian Frye Fails to Masterbate" in which he was filmed doing nothing. His joke was that performance art is just an opportunity for people to go out and "masterbate" on screen. Some of his work, like "The most Important Part of My Life (infinite Set)" resemble a fluxus film in that this one features Frye slowly turning his head.
--How does Frye respond to the question about what he “adds” to films such as Anatomy of Melancholy?
Frye wants to "do what the films are trying to do." with Anatamoy of Melancholy, he saw the perfect film, in that the material invited him in and "did what he was trying to do for 5 years."
Scott MacDonald, “Maintenance”
--What are some of the reasons for rental income growth at Canyon Cinema between 1980 and 2003? How did Canyon distinguish itself from the Filmmakers Cooperative and the Museum of Modern Art?
The increasing interest for AG films since the 80s came mainly from educational institutions.
--What problems and controversies did video distribution cause for Canyon in the 1990s? To what degree were the sides of the debate related to the age of the filmmakers on each side? Based upon the interview with Dominic Angerame at the end of the chapter, what was his position on the video debate?
The biggest problem/conroversy was when the organization was about to vote on whether of not any "videomaker" could become a voting member of the organization. The older generations involved with Canyon favored film, and viewed video as a separate medium unworthy of the organization's attention. The younger generations viewed things differently. Ultimately, the organization voted against the measure, and retained its status of being solely a "film" distributor.
Another problem Canyon experienced was the proliferation of DVD and HD distribution, which hurt their rental business. They continue to survive partly from donations from noteworthy patrons, such as Lucasfilms.
--What were the advantages and disadvantages to funding from the National Endowment from the Arts? What controversies developed related to the publication of Canyon Cinema Catalog #5?
The obvious advantage of associating with NEA is the financial aspect of it. However, when someone pays you, they tend to have decision making clout. They were unhappy with the pictures of nude boys and other graphic images in their Catalog #5.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Reading Response 9
Catching up from last week: Christie Milliken, "The Pixel Visions of Sadie Benning"
1. How is Sadie Benning's work related to general trends and characteristics in Riot Grrl subculture? How is Riot Grrl subculture similar to and different from punk subculture?
Sadie Benning fully encompassed the Riot Grrrl movement by using a lot of music from that movement in her videos. Also, her videos affirm her as a strong, liberated female, which is something the Riot Grrrl movement encouraged young women to be. Riot Grrrl is basically the female version of punk. Punk culture takes place a lot on the street which is typically prohibitive for females to participate in. Riot Grrrl takes traditionally female activities such as dressing up and the the consuming of pop culture and puts a punk spin to it.
2. Why does Milliken refer to Benning's work as visual essays? What are the advantages of viewing the work in relation to this genre? What is meant by "radical feminist essayistic" form?
They are visual essays in that they feel like they are notes torn from a diary, or are notes passed around during class. They are highly personal and autobiographical and are not confiined by the limits of genre. The radical femenist essaist means that her tapes are highly opinionated calls to action.
Keller and Ward, "Matthew Barney and the Paradox of the Neo-Avant-Garde Blockbuster"
3. 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?
Artists have broadened the definition of sculpture over the decades. Someone could call a swath cut deep into a dessert ("Rift" 1969) a sculpture. Barney describes performance, film, and sculpture as if they existed within a "family" of objects.
4. 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 tries to remove the obvious contributions of the artist to the experience of the work. It is postmodern in that its goals as a piece of art are in direct opposition to those of modernist art.
5. 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:
http://www.ubu.com/film/acconci.html
http://www.ubu.com/film/burden.html
The body of the performers is considered the sculpture, with it performing various acts physical endurance as the performance.
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?
Barney's Cremaster cycle cares more about physical tests and accomplishment rather than flowery, visual performances of the body of the 60s and 70s. The "blockbuster" aspect of his productions lie within the fact that they have large budgets, and are exhibited in a fashion which almost ensures their financial success.o
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?
A mode of film practice is sort of one step above genre in that it categorizes groups of films and filmmakers according to their specific dogma of filmmaking. Examples are Hollywood films, French New Wave, Soviet Montage, etc. Characteristics of Soviet Montage would include agitprop aesthetics, pro-communist agendas, and synechdoche, in which the absense of individual characters is replaced by nameless, stereotyped characters used to represent a certain idea or social class.
7. What are some of the key differences between the experimental and gallery art worlds in terms of production and distribution?
Gallery art films are highly exclusive and rare in quantity, so that they retain a modicum of high value. AG films are the reverse; often they are shown for free in makeshift theaters.
1. How is Sadie Benning's work related to general trends and characteristics in Riot Grrl subculture? How is Riot Grrl subculture similar to and different from punk subculture?
Sadie Benning fully encompassed the Riot Grrrl movement by using a lot of music from that movement in her videos. Also, her videos affirm her as a strong, liberated female, which is something the Riot Grrrl movement encouraged young women to be. Riot Grrrl is basically the female version of punk. Punk culture takes place a lot on the street which is typically prohibitive for females to participate in. Riot Grrrl takes traditionally female activities such as dressing up and the the consuming of pop culture and puts a punk spin to it.
2. Why does Milliken refer to Benning's work as visual essays? What are the advantages of viewing the work in relation to this genre? What is meant by "radical feminist essayistic" form?
They are visual essays in that they feel like they are notes torn from a diary, or are notes passed around during class. They are highly personal and autobiographical and are not confiined by the limits of genre. The radical femenist essaist means that her tapes are highly opinionated calls to action.
Keller and Ward, "Matthew Barney and the Paradox of the Neo-Avant-Garde Blockbuster"
3. 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?
Artists have broadened the definition of sculpture over the decades. Someone could call a swath cut deep into a dessert ("Rift" 1969) a sculpture. Barney describes performance, film, and sculpture as if they existed within a "family" of objects.
4. 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 tries to remove the obvious contributions of the artist to the experience of the work. It is postmodern in that its goals as a piece of art are in direct opposition to those of modernist art.
5. 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:
http://www.ubu.com/film/acconci.html
http://www.ubu.com/film/burden.html
The body of the performers is considered the sculpture, with it performing various acts physical endurance as the performance.
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?
Barney's Cremaster cycle cares more about physical tests and accomplishment rather than flowery, visual performances of the body of the 60s and 70s. The "blockbuster" aspect of his productions lie within the fact that they have large budgets, and are exhibited in a fashion which almost ensures their financial success.o
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?
A mode of film practice is sort of one step above genre in that it categorizes groups of films and filmmakers according to their specific dogma of filmmaking. Examples are Hollywood films, French New Wave, Soviet Montage, etc. Characteristics of Soviet Montage would include agitprop aesthetics, pro-communist agendas, and synechdoche, in which the absense of individual characters is replaced by nameless, stereotyped characters used to represent a certain idea or social class.
7. What are some of the key differences between the experimental and gallery art worlds in terms of production and distribution?
Gallery art films are highly exclusive and rare in quantity, so that they retain a modicum of high value. AG films are the reverse; often they are shown for free in makeshift theaters.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Reading Response 9
Note: The Sadie Benning article is missing from the reserves. I will correct this as soon as possible.
First, respond to Tribulation 99 in relation to Zryd's description of student responses in his own classes.
I kind of liked Tribulation 99. I appreciate the crazy science fiction storyline mixing with conspiracy theory. The film doesn't take itself seriously, with the fast paced narration and its intonations, outlandish theories, use of stock footage, and use of iconic cultural footage all used to question american foreign policy in the 60s-80s. My reaction is in tandem with that of the author's students who found the pace to be too fast, however, that it can become overwhelming.
Michael Zryd, “Found Footage Film as Discursive Metahistory: Craig Baldwin’s Tribulation 99”
1. Explain Paul Arthur's distinction between the "realist" use of found footage and the "figurative" use of found footage. Which becomes important in Tribulation 99 and why?
Realist found footage is footage bearing a direct relationship with the voice over narration, possibly actual footage of what is being discussed. Figurative footage is footage that serves to illustrate central argument of what is being discussed but may not be actually footage of what is being discussed. Tribulation 99 utilizes mainly realist footage and uses it in an ironic and metaphorical manner to drive the argument of his film. His use of realist footage in part makes the film historically relevant; he discusses real events in history and presents actual footage and newspaper prints of the events but adds his conspiratorial twist to their presentation. This isnot to say that there is no figurative footage in the film, which i would take to be the b movie footage, etc.
Marc Masters, “The Offenders: No Wave Cinema”
2. Name at least three similarities between the punk music scene and the punk/no-wave filmmaking scene, in terms of technology, style, and community.
In terms of technology, the no wave filmmakers' super 8 cameras were the equivalent to the musician's slide guitar, which both made their respective arts easy to make. Also, there was no work associated with talent, only through social circles, so the element of community was very important to the no wavers. The filmmakers also chose very easy subjects and methods to shoot their films; much of their stories were rehashes of previous ones. This is very much like the musicians' improvised music, which really consisted of them exploring the sounds of their instruments, not achieving any formal structure to their music.
William Wees, “Peggy’s Playhouse: Contesting the Modernist Paradigm”
4. According to Wees, what are the 5 characteristics of the modernist paradigm dominating North American avant-garde filmmaking before the 1980s?
They were 1) the concept of the autonomy of art, 2) the drive to discover and explore the unique properties of each artistic medium, 3) the moral and aesthetic superiority of "high art" over pop culture, 4) the desire of the artist to express themselves uniquely, and 5) endowing their work with universal and timeless (apolitical and ahistorical) qualities.
5. Given the 5 characteristics above, how does Awhesh reject or question each of them (give examples from throughout the article).
Peggy Ahwesh recontextualizes genres, like melodrama, horror, porn, and video games to "dismantle the Institutional Canon of Masterworks of the Avant-Garde." She refuses to tell her audiences how to handle her films, and instead takes a more open ended approach.
6. Why does Wees argue that The Color of Love subverts conventional wisdom about mainstream pornography?
The Color of Love deconstructs the phallocentric male view of pornography by placing a dead man in a lesbian porn, which is usually intended for male audiences, and he is unresponsive to their cutting him and trying to mount him. Ahwesh also uses cool visual fx like step printing and film scratching to attain a distinct visual style.
7. In what ways does Awhesh transform images from Tomb Raider in She Puppet?
Ahwehs recontextualizes and refamiliarizes the audience with the source material by inserting voiceovers of existentialist texts performed by various female orators. Another difference between Tomb Raider and She Puppet is the lack of interactivity. The film adopts the fixed perspective of an artist.
First, respond to Tribulation 99 in relation to Zryd's description of student responses in his own classes.
I kind of liked Tribulation 99. I appreciate the crazy science fiction storyline mixing with conspiracy theory. The film doesn't take itself seriously, with the fast paced narration and its intonations, outlandish theories, use of stock footage, and use of iconic cultural footage all used to question american foreign policy in the 60s-80s. My reaction is in tandem with that of the author's students who found the pace to be too fast, however, that it can become overwhelming.
Michael Zryd, “Found Footage Film as Discursive Metahistory: Craig Baldwin’s Tribulation 99”
1. Explain Paul Arthur's distinction between the "realist" use of found footage and the "figurative" use of found footage. Which becomes important in Tribulation 99 and why?
Realist found footage is footage bearing a direct relationship with the voice over narration, possibly actual footage of what is being discussed. Figurative footage is footage that serves to illustrate central argument of what is being discussed but may not be actually footage of what is being discussed. Tribulation 99 utilizes mainly realist footage and uses it in an ironic and metaphorical manner to drive the argument of his film. His use of realist footage in part makes the film historically relevant; he discusses real events in history and presents actual footage and newspaper prints of the events but adds his conspiratorial twist to their presentation. This isnot to say that there is no figurative footage in the film, which i would take to be the b movie footage, etc.
Marc Masters, “The Offenders: No Wave Cinema”
2. Name at least three similarities between the punk music scene and the punk/no-wave filmmaking scene, in terms of technology, style, and community.
In terms of technology, the no wave filmmakers' super 8 cameras were the equivalent to the musician's slide guitar, which both made their respective arts easy to make. Also, there was no work associated with talent, only through social circles, so the element of community was very important to the no wavers. The filmmakers also chose very easy subjects and methods to shoot their films; much of their stories were rehashes of previous ones. This is very much like the musicians' improvised music, which really consisted of them exploring the sounds of their instruments, not achieving any formal structure to their music.
William Wees, “Peggy’s Playhouse: Contesting the Modernist Paradigm”
4. According to Wees, what are the 5 characteristics of the modernist paradigm dominating North American avant-garde filmmaking before the 1980s?
They were 1) the concept of the autonomy of art, 2) the drive to discover and explore the unique properties of each artistic medium, 3) the moral and aesthetic superiority of "high art" over pop culture, 4) the desire of the artist to express themselves uniquely, and 5) endowing their work with universal and timeless (apolitical and ahistorical) qualities.
5. Given the 5 characteristics above, how does Awhesh reject or question each of them (give examples from throughout the article).
Peggy Ahwesh recontextualizes genres, like melodrama, horror, porn, and video games to "dismantle the Institutional Canon of Masterworks of the Avant-Garde." She refuses to tell her audiences how to handle her films, and instead takes a more open ended approach.
6. Why does Wees argue that The Color of Love subverts conventional wisdom about mainstream pornography?
The Color of Love deconstructs the phallocentric male view of pornography by placing a dead man in a lesbian porn, which is usually intended for male audiences, and he is unresponsive to their cutting him and trying to mount him. Ahwesh also uses cool visual fx like step printing and film scratching to attain a distinct visual style.
7. In what ways does Awhesh transform images from Tomb Raider in She Puppet?
Ahwehs recontextualizes and refamiliarizes the audience with the source material by inserting voiceovers of existentialist texts performed by various female orators. Another difference between Tomb Raider and She Puppet is the lack of interactivity. The film adopts the fixed perspective of an artist.
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