Expanded Cinema is the whole idea that films and videos can be used to create art. This idea began to gain a lot of following in the 70's but people argue it started a lot earlier than that. It is media that breaks boundaries primarily doing things with film that were very experimental and never thought of before to create installations and art pieces. Galleries never documented this type of video art at the time but looking back on it now it was very interesting to see the kind of things they were doing such as mounting projectors onto spinning rigs to create a 360 degree art piece.
I am going to look into some video art pieces which of their time were pushing the boundaries in certain ways:
David Hall - TV Interruptions, Tap Piece (1971)
This is one of 10 piece which Hall made as a set to be broadcast on TV. He would have this piece randomly interrupt real TV shows which were on and then as soon as his piece had finished the TV show would continue. These pieces were very random and much the same as the one above and it was to try and make a statement against general TV shows. Thats why his pieces broke general conventions of things that were usually on TV such as it doesn't really have a narrative or a theme behind it and instead is just playing with visuals in an artistic way. He captured a lot of attention doing this because people who were going about their daily lives with their TV's on would suddenly be outraged by this unexplained interruption which they did not understand. It created a lot of controversy and I think this is what he wanted to do, any reaction is better than none in his eyes.
Andrew Knotting - Ode to a Deadad (2006)
OF AN ODE TO A DEADAD from andrew kotting on Vimeo.
This piece was a time-lapse made in one take with a manual time lapse facility. The camera was set up on cliff tops overlooking a small town called Tjornuvík. The piece all links together because it was made after his father passed away hence why it is called Deadad. It is a Ode written about his father which was then read out and recorded down in one of the houses you see at the bottom of the cliffs. This is what we see and then as the speech stops we see the blow up version of his dad float briefly past the camera. I feel like this is a very personal piece to him allowing him a way to reflect on his dad and his family. I like his manual technique approach to it as it gives it a much rawer quality which I like. It is very unusual to watch at first but once you read how it was done and what its about it makes a lot more sense.
Steve McQueen - Bear (1993)
Unfortunately I was actually unable to find this video anywhere on line for free but I did lot at screen shots such as the above to get an idea of it and also researched what it was about. It was McQueens first major piece which raised a lot of issues for viewers such as race, homoeroticism and violence. The video shows two men who are teasing each other in an argument/fight which keeps shifting between aggressive and tender. It has lots of uncomfortable shots where the males wink at each other and stare intently. He has kept the piece silent to make it even more disconcerting for the viewer. He wanted it to be filmed in a way which not only had you observing but also made you feel involved hence why it is such an uncomfortable video to watch. I like the idea of making the viewer feel uncomfortable in order to realise the point of the piece.
Wangechi Mutu - The End of Eating Everything (2013)
This piece is very interesting in the message it is trying to get across however I personally don't like the visuals and how it has been animated but I do appreciate how it is done. The message is a very strong one showing us the disadvantages to overconsumption and greed. It shows you symbolically how you can be warped by society in over-consuming in life to the point where your warped into a monster as demonstrated by the monster in this piece. This meaning wasn't what immediately sprung to mind when watching it however now I have researched it it makes sense. It was made using the layering of real video work of the actress with these animated actions that are happening. I personally don't like this style too much but it is effective in creating a very weird atmosphere.
Hito Steyerl - Factory of the Sun (2015)
I really liked looking at this modern piece because I really liked the way it was actually installed more than anything. Even though the videos themselves are really interesting because they combine lots of themes and connections within popular culture such as video game and tv references I still think the installation makes them a lot more effective. she has these lines of light all around the room in a grid like pattern almost as if you are in the screen/game yourself. It references the film Tron quite heavily in this way. I really like this because it is very immersive in this respect and appeals to modern culture. I want to think of some ways to make my installation a lot more immersive.
Light Harvest - Light mapping artwork
Projection on the Bridge - Immersive Surfaces - As Above, So Below from Light Harvest Studio - Ryan Uzi on Vimeo.
This is a much more commercial version of expanded cinema and I really like the way they have used this new process of light mapping to create something so visually amazing. It is a story being told by light and it creates an amazing atmosphere. It is also so versatile because you can project the lights onto so many different surfaces such as buildings, lakes, fields etc. I think it would be such an interesting and exciting thing to be able to do and if i was able to learn the skills to do this I would love to do it.
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