Nam Paik June
Zen for Film, 1962-1964
Links
1.http://www.ubu.com/film/fluxfilm01_paik.html
2.http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/works/zen-for-film/
ZEN FOR FILM, Nam June Paik from New Media on Vimeo.
Zen For Film is an 8 minute loop of blank film is played. There are no images besides the few specks of dust and scratches on film. This was made as a sort of homage- or at the very least acknowledgment- to John Cage, a close friend of Nam Paik June. what attracted me to this piece was it's vey minimal aesthetic. When film or video is played you usually expect a barrage of sounds and moving images to stimulate your senses. So when presented with something like this is very odd and it's actually difficult to watch the whole loop because nothing happens. But it's also refreshing because the piece offers time to meditate as opposed to televised media which is constantly using sounds and images to capture the viewers attention and focus solely on the material presented.
Wolf Vostell
Electronic Dé-coll/age, Happening Room, 1968
Links
1.http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/works/elektronische-decollage/images/1/
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ME3nPge-zo
E.d.H.R. is a kinetic piece that incorporates both sculpture and video. There are 6 T.V sets with different different moving pieces. One T.V set for example is pushing a crow on a platform with a stick while another is moving a white bed sheet over red paint brushes. The movement is caused by auxiliary electro-motors. The images on the T.V themselves are disoriented. The piece to me reminded me of Paik's works involving T.V's and the prospect of dismantling their original purpose to make a mew art medium. Although both artist are considered to be connected with Fluxus, or the notion of turning things to their "anti" forms. In E.d.H.R., I interpret the piece as Vostell's image for anti-television. For one, all the action is not coming from within the T.v and what it's showing but on the outside and making it more physical.
