video installation essay

The use of technology in video installation can play a big part in making the installation look effective. This is clear in David Hall’s pieces of work. For example in the piece “1001 TV sets”, Hall uses the feature of analogue signal along with hundreds of turned on TV monitors. These TVs were all tuned into 5 different channels. This also means due to the high amount of TV’s there will also be a high amount of noise due to said TV’s. This could add to the piece of art itself as the noise all coming together could be shown as another part of the piece of art. Hall exhibited this piece in 2012, this was due to the move from analogue to digital on TV’s, thus going to watch the piece, it could be suggested that you are watching analogue die. The piece also uses an analogue signal due to the high amount of TV’s, Hall also uses analogue signal in most of his pieces of work such as the piece “TV interruption” as it was shown on TV in between two separate shows, this was done in order to try and freak out the audience and make the viewer think what the piece is about.

Another piece of David Hall’s work is “progressive recession”; this was first exhibited in 1974 and then reexhibited in 2012 along with Hall’s other TV based piece 1001 TV sets. Hall uses multi-channel and live feed to produce the piece, the effect is that people can see themselves on many different screens, which could make the viewer feel excitement and confusion; it could also make the viewer walk around, as they are curious about where the cameras are. It can also lead to two extremes whether the viewer start too “perform” or move away instantly. This piece is different to “1001 TV sets” as due to the live feed, the actual artwork being shown is the people viewing it, this is due to the many cameras set up to different screens around the room, this will also mean that the soundtrack is yet again the viewer who is viewing the work. Ergo, without anyone walking into the room there is no art. The level of interaction in David Hall’s piece also inspired is to use it in my own work, as I created my own

live interaction video installation piece of work.

Sam Taylor Wood use of technology isn’t so clear at a first look but does use technology by using digital, for example in the piece “still life” exhibited in 2001. The cycle showed the same bowl of fruit for a long period of time, thus showing it slowly “die” and go mouldy. It was shown on a 10 ft. by 5 ft. screen in a dark room, to give it the effect of being in a cinema. The video was pre-recorded and then edited to show a visual timeline of the cycle from life to death and also uses time lapse photography to show the progression of the fruits cycle through life. The audience for this piece may feel confused at first as the change to the fruit is shown in slow motion, but as it starts to change the viewer may have strong emotions of disgust or even horror, due to the change on screen. This is different compared to David Hall’s pieces as his pieces are continuous and do not have an ending. In David Viola’s the quintet of the astonished it can be linked to the TaylorWood piece “still life” as they both use no soundtrack and the actors on screens are the only way to know what’s happening. The technique used is a single channel which has been pre-recorded; this piece also shows the human emotion as instead of viewing what the actors are seeing, you only see the actor’s expressions of what they see. But the two pieces do share a factor as they are both shown in a gallery, thus this will attract a certain type of niche audience, for example, A-B class of people will usually go to galleries.

In video installation, narrative isn’t used in the traditional format that we see in TV and Film. Narrative is used to convey a message but in some cases still have the traditional structure arc ‘beginning, middle and end’. This is shown in Sam Taylor Wood’s “Pieta” as we see a woman holding a dying man taking his last breaths, the viewer sees a man breathing but we also see a ‘end’ to his life, so

we see an end in a un-conventional sense. Also the narrative in “Pieta” can show connections, connections broken from death and connections to the people who have passed on, because of this the audience may also ask questions on what the connection is between the characters, and also they may feel sympathy for the two as the viewer may consider this quite a tragic piece due to the actions within. Another piece that has a unique narrative is David Hall’s “The tap”. All is shown for the length is a tap turned on and water coming out. This piece is basic in style with only one camera shot used and also basic in narrative due to only a tap running being shown, also, people would have been, surprised, confused, and interrupted after watching it, due to it being shown as a surprise transition and not being advertised, this could then provoke thought from the viewer by wondering what they are watching and what it is about.

Some installation do not have a narrative at all like David Hall’s “progression recession” because in this piece the only action shown on screen is the peoples reactions to being on screen, as some will walk away from it and some will ‘act up’ for the camera. As the viewer of the piece can only see the people in the piece reactions, this then gives the viewer licence to think about how this is done, just like another Hall piece ‘tap piece’ it provokes thought. The use of narrative in Video Installation is sometimes hard to interpret but can be more of a conveyed messaging then a narrative. This apparent in the work of Bill Viola’s The Quintet of the Astonished because the only narrative comes from the reactions of people on screen, leaving the viewer to make up their own mind about what the actors are watching. Also in another piece of Viola’s work “The Crossing” there is the added effect of the sound of fire, this Is done to intimidate the viewer and make them feel uncomfortable, these feeling would have been magnified due to Viola’s piece being shown on 30 ft. screens, it could also give the viewer the feeling like there is no escape.

The way that video installations are presented has a lot to do with the individual styles of the artist. Sam Taylor Wood is an artist by trade and seemingly presents her work as she would art, for example in “still life” the piece is inspired by paintings, as the look of the piece makes it look like a moving painting for example. Also, the objects in shot are still life. The artist may have used this in order to create the illusion of a painting, but to make it move in an animated way. A single channel with no sounds showed in a small cinema like space, such as a booth, it was also shown inside a gallery isolated by a black curtain. Also, this piece would have been aimed at would be aimed at an informed intelligent audience due to it being shown in a gallery, also a specialised audience. Also, A-B class type of audience being aimed at. Also, the narration shows a slight irony as “still life” as the title, but the pieces of fruit slowly dies, or could be the maker saying there is no such thing as still life.

Also, This is similar to Bill Viola who prefers to use as little technology in his video as he can as you can see in The Quintet of the Astonished, for example the whole piece is shown to the viewer in slow motion, the artist may have done this in order to highlight and express even more the subjects emotion to what their watching, meaning that the piece will have a wide range of interruptions because of it, it may have also been shown in order for the audience to have longer to think about what is being shown on the screen. David Hall is very different to Bill Viola in that he relies on technology and uses real time in his pieces for example in “1001 TV sets” has to use a vast space in order to present his piece of art. Another piece by Viola is “The crossing” it was shown in a small building but isolated to add effect of film. Also, big screens used to cut of exhibition space to make the viewer feel unconformable.

The way an exhibition space is used is important as the

space can be used to grab the audience’s attention and makes them want to watch. David hall for example has to pick his spaces carefully; this is because of the vast pieces that Hall wants to represent. For example, In “progressive recession” Hall has chosen a quite large room, This may have been in order to give the idea of claustrophobic, Due to many cameras and screens, may give the idea to the audience that there’s no way out. The location of the piece can also be as important as to grab the reader’s attention, for example, “The Crossing” by David Viola exhibited in 1996, the piece was shown in a dark room such as in a gallery. Also, Audience realised audio placed in specific spaces in order to give the feeling of being closed in. The piece was shown on large walls by huge projectors, to give the feeling of being closed in and also the feeling of no escape from the piece. Also “the crossing” using the idea of irrational force as blue can symbolise calmness and safeness whereas red can symbolise danger and fear. Use of fire and water can also represent the power of nature, as they are both different elements of the world, can also be described as “natural power “The use of technology in video installation can play a big part in making the installation look effective. This is clear in David Hall’s pieces of work. For example in the piece “1001 TV sets”, Hall uses the feature of analogue signal along with hundreds of turned on TV monitors. These TVs were all tuned into 5 different channels and were played and stationed around a very large room. This also means due to the high amount of TV’s there will also be a high amount of noise due to said TV’s. This could add to the piece of art itself as the noise all coming together could be shown as another part of the piece of art. Hall exhibited this piece in 2012, this was due to the move from analogue to digital on TV’s, thus going to watch the piece, it could be suggested that you are watching analogue die. The piece also uses an analogue signal due to the high amount of TV’s, Hall also uses analogue signal in most of his pieces of work such as the piece “TV interruption” as it was shown

on TV in between two separate shows, this was done in order to try and freak out the audience and make the viewer think what the piece is about.

Another piece of David Hall’s work is “progressive recession”; this was first exhibited in 1974 and then reexhibited in 2012 along with Hall’s other TV based piece 1001 TV sets. Hall uses multi-channel and live feed to produce the piece, the effect is that people can see themselves on many different screens, which could make the viewer feel excitement and confusion; it could also make the viewer walk around, as they are curious about where the cameras are. It can also lead to two extremes whether the viewer start too “perform” or move away instantly. This piece is different to “1001 TV sets” as due to the live feed, the actual artwork being shown is the people viewing it, this is due to the many cameras set up to different screens around the room, this will also mean that the soundtrack is yet again the viewer who is viewing the work. Ergo, without anyone walking into the room there is no art. The level of interaction in David Hall’s piece also inspired is to use it in my own work, as I created my own live interaction video installation piece of work.

Sam Taylor Wood use of technology isn’t so clear at a first look but does use technology by using digital, for example in the piece “still life” exhibited in 2001. The cycle showed the same bowl of fruit for a long period of time, thus showing it slowly “die” and go mouldy. It was shown on a 10 ft. by 5 ft. screen in a dark room, to give it the effect of being in a cinema. The video was pre-recorded and then edited to show a visual timeline of the cycle from life to death and also uses time lapse photography to show the progression of the fruits cycle through life. The audience for this piece may feel confused at first as the change to the fruit is shown in slow motion, but as it starts to change the viewer may have strong emotions of disgust or even

horror, due to the change on screen. This is different compared to David Hall’s pieces as his pieces are continuous and do not have an ending. In David Viola’s the quintet of the astonished it can be linked to the TaylorWood piece “still life” as they both use no soundtrack and the actors on screens are the only way to know what’s happening. The technique used is a single channel which has been pre-recorded; this piece also shows the human emotion as instead of viewing what the actors are seeing, you only see the actor’s expressions of what they see. But the two pieces do share a factor as they are both shown in a gallery, thus this will attract a certain type of niche audience, for example, A-B class of people will usually go to galleries.

In video installation, narrative isn’t used in the traditional format that we see in TV and Film. Narrative is used to convey a message but in some cases still have the traditional structure arc ‘beginning, middle and end’. This is shown in Sam Taylor Wood’s “Pieta” as we see a woman holding a dying man taking his last breaths. Also the narrative in “Pieta” can show connections, connections broken from death and connections to the people who have passed on, because of this the audience may also ask questions on what the connection is between the characters, and also they may feel sympathy for the two.

Another piece that has a unique narrative is David Hall’s “The tap”. All is shown for the length is a tap turned on and water coming out. This piece is basic in style with only one camera shot used and also basic in narrative due to only a tap running being shown, also, people would have been, surprised, confused, and interrupted after watching it, due to it being shown as a surprise transition.

Some installation do not have a narrative at all like David Hall’s “progression recession” because in this piece the only action shown on screen is the actors reactions and

emotion, which can make a narrative itself. As the viewer of the piece can only see the actors in the piece reactions.

The use of narrative in Video Installation is sometimes hard to interpret but can be more of a conveyed messaging then a narrative. This apparent in the work of Bill Viola’s The Quintet of the Astonished because the only narrative comes from the reactions of people on screen, leaving the viewer to make up their own mind. Also in another piece of Viola’s work “The Crossing” there is an adding effect of noise of a fire, to add to the concept of fear, uncomfortable and intimidation. I was inspired by the Element of surprise used in “progression recession” so I used the same element in my own installation work.

The way that video installations are presented has a lot to do with the individual styles of the artist. Sam Taylor Wood is an artist by trade and seemingly presents her work as she would art, for example in “still life” the piece is inspired by paintings, as the look of the piece makes it look like a moving painting for example. Also, the objects in shot are still life. The artist may have used this in order to create the illusion of a painting, but to make it move in an animated way. A single channel with no sounds showed in a small cinema like space, such as a booth, it was also shown inside a gallery isolated by a black curtain. Also, this piece would have been aimed at would be aimed at an informed intelligent audience due to it being shown in a gallery, also a specialised audience. Also, A-B class type of audience being aimed at. Also, the narration shows a slight irony as “still life” as the title, but the pieces of fruit slowly dies, or could be the maker saying there is no such thing as still life.

Also, This is similar to Bill Viola who prefers to use as little technology in his video as he can as you can see in The Quintet of the Astonished, for example the whole piece is shown to the viewer in slow motion, the artist may have

done this in order to highlight and express even more the subjects emotion to what their watching, meaning that the piece will have a wide range of interruptions because of it.

David Hall is very different to Bill Viola in that he relies on technology and uses real time in his pieces for example in “1001 TV sets” has to use a vast space in order to present his piece of art. Another piece by Viola is “The crossing” it was shown in a small building but isolated to add effect of film. Also, big screens used to cut of exhibition space to make the viewer feel unconformable.

The way an exhibition space is used is important as the space can be used to grab the audience’s attention and makes them want to watch. David hall for example has to pick his spaces carefully; this is because of the vast pieces that Hall wants to represent. For example, In “progressive recession” Hall has chosen a quite large room, This may have been in order to give the idea of claustrophobic, Due to many cameras and screens, may give the idea to the audience that there’s no way out. The location of the piece can also be as important as to grab the reader’s attention, for example, “The Crossing” by David Viola, the piece was shown in a dark room such as in a gallery. Also, Audience realised audio placed in specific spaces in order to give the feeling of being closed in. The piece was shown on large walls by huge projectors, to give the feeling of being closed in. Also “the crossing” using the idea of irrational force as blue can symbolise calmness and safeness whereas red can symbolize danger and fear. Use of fire and water can also represent the power of nature, as they are both different elements of the world, can also be described as “natural power”.