11/23

1.  First, as requested earlier, post your response to Peggy Awhesh's Martina's Playhouse.

I love the look of the super 8 film. I remained interested in this film throughout its entirety because it seemed to be based a lot on performance. There are no male roles in this film, just the little girl with her mother and the older girl were both directly addressing the camera. The little girl was also playing pretend. The subjects were interesting and entertaining. Sometimes the content was a little awkward to watch, but it is really fascinating when a film doesn’t have strict script and catches a slice of life as it unfolds. One thing I didn’t initially understand was how the film functioned as a whole, or if it was even supposed to function as a whole. After reading, I realize that the flowers had symbolic significance to the piece.

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?

Over the years the term “sculpture” has broadened. Now it can mean constructing something out of a wider range of materials and practices from “site specific” to media based. It can even incorporate performance and architecture (hence why Barney’s work such as Cremaster can be categorized as sculpture).

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 post modernist because it is simple and recognizable geometric forms. It isn’t specifically made to be abstract. It has to do with the public experiencing art so that they can discover a meaning to a simple perhaps everyday object and how they interact with it. It is more about the experience than the art object, the same concepts that emerged during the post-modernist movement of the 1960’s.

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:

Acconci incorporated his body into a minimalist piece called Seedbed in 1972. Apparently he masturbated for six hours a day, two days a week for this. In his experience he brought his own fantasy to the minimalist space that required the help/collaboration with people in the gallery. The whole process is public and private at the same time. As for Burden, his piece involves performance through minimalism as well. His early performances involved sculpting interactive pieces made out of obscure gym equipment. Even though it makes use of what appears to be traditional equipment, the physical activity is supposed to be the main focus of the piece. For example: Shoot (1971) involves physical intensity as he his shot in the arm.


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?

Performance art of the 60’s/70’s such as Burden were based on performances that required an endurance. It was based on reputation as he documented these feats. Burden and Barney both refer to their works as a sculpture but Barney’s work is based on performance art and endurance: each of these aspects are taken into consideration so production has a more effort put into it (budget differs/increases as well).  Barney’s work is more of a Hollywood style since it has a large budget and is being distributed on DVDs. It is more polished or “luxurious” than the gallery artists, more easily accessible.

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?

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.” Two types include art cinema and Hollywood. The two modes of film practice share aesthetics and artists that have worked on both modes at some point. If distinguished the differences include the aesthetic qualities and the circumstances they are viewed and understood. Avant garde cinema is more personal and independent while experimental is collaborative, broadly speaking.

7. What are some of the key differences between the experimental and gallery art worlds in terms of production and distribution?

In avant garde production the filmmaker tends to control all aspects. Their budgets are smaller than gallery artists. Gallery artists is more collaborative. Gallery artists also mainly stick to using film as their medium of choice. When it comes to distribution, experimental film has used commercial ways to distribute as well as small scale exhibition. Money can come from the viewings and rentals, which most times prove not to make much money. Gallery art is scarce and rare, but when a piece is sold it is of more value.

11/3

Michael Zryd, "The Academy of the Avant-Garde : A Relationship of Dependence and Resistance"

1. The rise of structural film was the “academization” of the American avant garde. It called for a more organized understanding of film and history. It was formal and theory driven. This called for more participants and jobs involved with exhibition, distribution co-ops, critics and journalists, and called for a  broader variety of artists and audiences as well.  One downfall was that some artists did not appreciate their works being taught by others.  Movies such as Wavelength launched the cinema of structure.  60% of them were rented for the FMC. The Canon Formation was formed to choose which films should be taught in the classroom. Films were more easily attained for academic purposes.

2. From what I can understand, autonomous films became more widely known and institutionalized although it was meant for individual artistic expression to resist this. They were against the materialism of art. It is a conundrum because in order to sustain and preserve the films and ideas students needed to have access to these.

3. It is argued that in the academic study of avant garde film that some important aspects are lost when the film is constantly dissected and analyzed. American Avant-Garde filmmakers wished to dissociate themselves from capitalism. The Canon formation also has a lot of control in choosing which films are deemed the most crucial in academic studies.  Some feel that Canon downplays the importance of work by new filmmakers.

4. The five legacies of the academicization of the avant-garde:
1. The maintenance/dependence of distribution co-ops, as the classroom became the dominant site of exhibition.

2. Regionalization, as centers of avant-garde film activity expanded beyond NY to multiple regional sites.

3. Publication mechanisms for the writing and dissemination of the history, criticism and theory of the avant garde.

4. Employment for filmmakers as faculty or technical personnel.

5. Development of second and third generation students becoming filmmakers, teachers, critics, programmers, and archivists, etc.

Marc Masters, “The Offenders: No Wave Cinema”

5. Similarities of these punk music and no-wave filmmaking  included that they were a community that all took turns doing a little bit of everything, and they learned as they went along. Punk music and no wave filmmaking both gave off the same vibe.  They were a group of people doing their own thing in an unconventional way, disregarding and even reacting against the “unfocused artiness and melodrama.”  It was a “raw energy and devil-may-care attitude” (aka rock and roll) that showed in the films because anyone would pick up a camera, figuring it out as they went along, and shot something.

6. What were the exhibition venues for punk/no-wave films such as those by Beth B. and Scott B., and how did the venues affect film content and style?

CBGB’s, Max’s Kansas City, and New Cinema were some exhibition venues. These were places they could come together and actively view the films in an energetic atmosphere. Audience and filmmakers came together from outside of the art world to interact with one another.

7. a.  Influences of No Wave filmmakers included Godard and Truffaunt of the French New Wave Cinema, and Andy Warhol’s Vinyl.  They were distinct because they rejected the works of Jonas Mekas and Michael Snow.

b. They used Super 8 even though it was considered too low of quality for exhibitions. It gave the films a grainy feel with interesting colors, plus- it was cheap, which is always a plus in the avant garde genre.

c. Economic similarities and differences- *see above about cost of super 8* Super 8 was easily obtained and shot, therefore saving time and money and allowing them to create films more frequently.

d. Social similarities and differences- Earlier avant garde filmmakers and no wave filmmakers were both reacting and rebelling to previous movements and detaching themselves from the mainstream. In each of these scenes, the artists pretty much live together and work together.


Janet Cutler, “Su Friedrich, Breaking the Rules”

8. She broke the rules because she mixed avant garde with narrative structure. Not only that, but she used psychodrama and structural techniques. Su Friedrich cannot be associated with any one genre or style because she mixed it up.

9. In “Sink or Swim” the alphabet is shown backwards. Each scene is reminiscent of a childhood memory of Su Friedrich. Her narration of memories also distinguishes the piece.