Documentation of my work in the "Fresh NY" show at Threshold Art Space, Perth, Scotland. Eleven of the 22 screens are shown. Photos by exhibition curator Anne Barlow. The OptiDisc GIF below is reduced; clicking on image shows the actual size (of the GIF--the screens are much larger).
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That looks really fabulous.
What's the story behind those 22 screens?
I love how it it gets good through repetition... nice work.
^ get's good through repetition?
Tom, how did the idea for this installation come about; and how do you feel it effects or changes the original work as it had been posted here before?
super cool!
Looks hot, very corporate in the best possible sense... airports come to mind. Can you put up some other images for a room perspective? Good stuff.
Thanks. The 22 screens is normally used for wave effects, cascading imagery, and other video dramatics that, yes, could be very corporate. There is a building near Times Sq--Lehman Bros?--that uses this type of display with images of people in business suits marching robotically (mock-ironic Orwellian), helicopter pans of clouds and mountain vistas (mock-ironic Leni Riefenstahl), etc.
The curator felt (and I agreed) that 22 multiples of a really basic, really dumb, ultimately redundant animated GIF, blinking in sync, with no swooshy effects would be worth a shot to somehow beat the slick context. Judging from these shots (the best I have) it worked OK.
NIIIIIIIIIIIIICE!
phat
Does "mock-ironic Leni Riefenstahl" or "mock-ironic Orwellian" actually mean that there is really no irony involved and that Orwelliian, Riefenstahl type themes and imagery (totalitarianism, fascism) are being promoted with a wink and a nudge?
Is that like all the punk-rockers from the 80's who started getting into country and rockabilly as an ironic joke, but who then actually transformed into actual rednecks??? I have seen it with my own eyes.
Sorry if this does not make clear sense, I am at work and don't have time to think about my phrasing.
Interesting question Thor, but remember that Orwell himself was not a fascist. (Leni R. was, but she's a problem of a different magnitude)
cow-punk was a matter of commandeering back the peoples music (back from the GOP (grand old oprey). i dont see much irony in that list. also see graham parsons. no irony and true to country but no redneck. willie was king of the long hair rednecks. no redneck, no irony in willie but some (not most) real rednecks (david allan coe, hank jr, etc.) in that crew. even the hag turned his act around. no irony, real country, x-redneck.
For clarity: I know Orwell was not a fascist, I could have phrased that better. Thanks Bill, I love Merle & Willie all the way around. I was referring to every-day average-joe people punkeys (In Dallas) who actually became real live rednecks, with no irony, even though they started off ironic. The process took a few years by my observation. I was not referring to actual performers. Thank you for the thoughts.
The Dallasites I imagine you speak of were rednecks from the start.
>>Does "mock-ironic Leni Riefenstahl" or "mock-ironic Orwellian" actually mean that there is really no irony involved and that Orwelliian, Riefenstahl type themes and imagery (totalitarianism, fascism) are being promoted with a wink and a nudge?
I think it was more "being ironic about being ironic" that cancels out and becomes fascist without any lingering wink or nudge. That probably is analogous to your punks who became rednecks. I may be reading too much initial self awareness into the "legions of businessmen and women strolling at a fast clip against largely empty green screened backgrounds" that were on the Lehman building. They're so obviously "corporate pod people" to me and I assume the Mad. Ave types know they're playing with those tropes. But it's possible that they just think it's cool and "evocative of life in a busy productive downtown" and don't even consider how close to that Apple 1984 video it looks.
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Documentation of my work in the "Fresh NY" show at Threshold Art Space, Perth, Scotland. Eleven of the 22 screens are shown. Photos by exhibition curator Anne Barlow. The OptiDisc GIF below is reduced; clicking on image shows the actual size (of the GIF--the screens are much larger).
return to main site
- tom moody 5-31-2007 5:48 pm
That looks really fabulous.
What's the story behind those 22 screens?
- sally mckay 5-31-2007 6:32 pm
I love how it it gets good through repetition... nice work.
- Andi (guest) 5-31-2007 9:00 pm
^ get's good through repetition?
Tom, how did the idea for this installation come about; and how do you feel it effects or changes the original work as it had been posted here before?
- roberthuffmann (guest) 5-31-2007 11:08 pm
super cool!
- Thor Johnson (guest) 6-01-2007 12:08 am
Looks hot, very corporate in the best possible sense... airports come to mind. Can you put up some other images for a room perspective? Good stuff.
- anonymous (guest) 6-01-2007 6:13 am
Thanks. The 22 screens is normally used for wave effects, cascading imagery, and other video dramatics that, yes, could be very corporate. There is a building near Times Sq--Lehman Bros?--that uses this type of display with images of people in business suits marching robotically (mock-ironic Orwellian), helicopter pans of clouds and mountain vistas (mock-ironic Leni Riefenstahl), etc.
The curator felt (and I agreed) that 22 multiples of a really basic, really dumb, ultimately redundant animated GIF, blinking in sync, with no swooshy effects would be worth a shot to somehow beat the slick context. Judging from these shots (the best I have) it worked OK.
- tom moody 6-01-2007 9:09 am
NIIIIIIIIIIIIICE!
- steven-reade (guest) 6-01-2007 9:43 pm
phat
- p.d. (guest) 6-01-2007 11:14 pm
Does "mock-ironic Leni Riefenstahl" or "mock-ironic Orwellian" actually mean that there is really no irony involved and that Orwelliian, Riefenstahl type themes and imagery (totalitarianism, fascism) are being promoted with a wink and a nudge?
Is that like all the punk-rockers from the 80's who started getting into country and rockabilly as an ironic joke, but who then actually transformed into actual rednecks??? I have seen it with my own eyes.
Sorry if this does not make clear sense, I am at work and don't have time to think about my phrasing.
- Thor Johnson (guest) 6-01-2007 11:55 pm
Interesting question Thor, but remember that Orwell himself was not a fascist. (Leni R. was, but she's a problem of a different magnitude)
- L.M. 6-02-2007 12:07 am
cow-punk was a matter of commandeering back the peoples music (back from the GOP (grand old oprey). i dont see much irony in that list. also see graham parsons. no irony and true to country but no redneck. willie was king of the long hair rednecks. no redneck, no irony in willie but some (not most) real rednecks (david allan coe, hank jr, etc.) in that crew. even the hag turned his act around. no irony, real country, x-redneck.
- bill 6-02-2007 12:37 am
For clarity: I know Orwell was not a fascist, I could have phrased that better. Thanks Bill, I love Merle & Willie all the way around. I was referring to every-day average-joe people punkeys (In Dallas) who actually became real live rednecks, with no irony, even though they started off ironic. The process took a few years by my observation. I was not referring to actual performers. Thank you for the thoughts.
- Thor Johnson (guest) 6-02-2007 1:48 am
The Dallasites I imagine you speak of were rednecks from the start.
- anonymous (guest) 6-02-2007 7:18 am
>>Does "mock-ironic Leni Riefenstahl" or "mock-ironic Orwellian" actually mean that there is really no irony involved and that Orwelliian, Riefenstahl type themes and imagery (totalitarianism, fascism) are being promoted with a wink and a nudge?
I think it was more "being ironic about being ironic" that cancels out and becomes fascist without any lingering wink or nudge. That probably is analogous to your punks who became rednecks. I may be reading too much initial self awareness into the "legions of businessmen and women strolling at a fast clip against largely empty green screened backgrounds" that were on the Lehman building. They're so obviously "corporate pod people" to me and I assume the Mad. Ave types know they're playing with those tropes. But it's possible that they just think it's cool and "evocative of life in a busy productive downtown" and don't even consider how close to that Apple 1984 video it looks.
- tom moody 6-02-2007 5:59 pm