Aesthetics of Narcissism

This essay begins by examining several art pieces featuring artists either filming themselves against mirrors, or against pre-recorded video of themselves. In the former, the mirror image becomes just as prominent and equal as the real thing through a video lens. In the latter, through interaction of the "real" person to the recording, the recording becomes less a static unchanging entity and is given new life and meaning to the re-appropriation. I never took into account the complexities that arise if one were to record an already recorded video. Even though I DID do that in recording Joel's footage to use in my footage, since the fact that it was someone else's footage projected in a new environment, the piece has a different meaning. That being said, a video played over on a screen with the artist re-enacting it, or doing something completely different in contrast to the original, it's a wholly different concept, regardless of its original context.

I also enjoyed the comparison between object layering in video and other types of media. Jasper Johns' piece, a depiction of a flag using pieces of a flag re-appropriated on wood and presented in a gallery, is confined within its own gallery space. It's a reworked flag and reflective of that icon and its representations, as well as its new meaning presented in this fashion, but it's only as powerful as its surroundings. Video, however, is inherently self-contained within a screen, giving the artist complete control in its depictions. So in 'Centers,' there's nothing getting in the way between the artist and his mirror self.

Buffalo Heads!

Steina really sounds like an artist who has a lot of fun doing the kind of work she does, and that's something to be commended. The way she writes about her fascination with her various shooting subjects is pretty admirable. She makes a few points I agree with in terms of the display of art and how it can greatly impact one's perception of it. It seems in gallery spaces many museum heads can unintentionally pigeonhole a certain piece in a certain place that can detriment or even lose the meaning of it all together. Like this instance where Steina was told she would have the lobby, this magnificent wonderful place right front and center where it can be seen by everybody. Well that's all well and good, but sometimes a piece demands a more subtle and less frequented space, somewhere more quiet and intimate. I get the feeling that a lot of curators aren't sure what to make of video art; Steina talks about how there are many assumptions that some believe that the medium is always loud and outlandish. That doesn't seem fair, as every piece is different. I can relate this to my frustration over animation being constantly referred to as a genre rather than a medium; cartoons can run the gambit in terms of emotions, tone and genre, but are usually not appreciated as such. Same here with video art.

I also like her point about creating art for the masses and how that isn't always ideal. She connects this to our super interconnected world we live in, where now a lot of times we find ourselves communicating a lot with people we don't even know, and sometimes putting a lot of vested thought into such discussions. We really feel like we want to make connections with everybody, rather than make smaller, more meaningful connections with a few people. Look at sites like Facebook, people can pride themselves over how many thousand friends they have, but how many of those people do you really consider a close personal friend? Probably not many. Steina talks about how artists that communicate to a wide scale are somehow looked upon as better than those who don't aim so high, but I don't feel that to be the case. I feel the best work is the one that aims more specific; when you put out a work that is deeply personal and to your own sensibilities, isn't it really strange and rewarding when you find a person who really connects with it and shares and appreciates your ideas, rather than doing something pretty standard and typical that anyone can get something out of? It's more a phenomenon that way around, really.

Woody Vasulka reading