Images from the Vasulkas' video installation The Wesr, presented at the 1984 National Video Festival .

A Conflux of Truth Tellers- National Video Festival 184

PaMeic Scaft.- Video Magazines Video Panels: ro#tics, Muck__ - Thevitality of video, .its exceeding variabiti- I . British joumaksi arid independent pro - The Louis B Mayer Building soundstage- -- ty, its power to extend us into our environ- ducer, John Wyver's chronicle of 9ritish housed capacity attendance for two panel - ; ment,. and it"bility to create an electronic Channel 4: The Story So Far, made an ef- discussions. With producers from Central common ground were .fully evident at the fective case for.the two-year old atemative America alongside U.S. producers, internationally oriented National Video channel, despite what many might call set- Nicaragua and El Salvador-~ Art and Ac- Festival September 20-23, on the Los backs. Charges of "left-wing" bias led to tivism, Utgency andEAhics was significant Angeles campus of the American Film in- the termination of a weekly news program by the fact of its occurrence . Moderator stitute. By my estimate, over 100 hours of The Friday Alternative.. Breakthrough Julianne Burton delivered an essay which ~lectronic data scanned playback equip- showssurviva,however, for btacksi Asians, merits seeking out in its abbreviated form T ment in six locations, which was, in large feminists and young people. in the festival catalogue. The presentatian- part, courtesy of the Sony CorporaWn-of_ Alternative television's frequent reliance-. itself did little to make the "situation 3n--_ -. America and AFt. This saturation of more upon video art for content,-approach and- Central America" any more cornprehensi- than 150 works spanned 35years, technique was the focus tin a festival sec- ble. Nicaragrran -Augusto Tablada, director - originated from-15-countries and employed , tion devoted to the arts magazine format. of vidoe for MIDINRA, the national agrarian . the ful! range of technologyavailable today. reform society, spoke through a translator Essayist Benjamin DeMott (Supergrow, Another casualty of Britain's Channel 4 , about the more than 30 educational pro- Surviving the Seventies) delivered the was the stunning magazine series After grams which address socio-political topics festival keynote and focused on "the role Image. The series electronically combined from military preparedness to, for example, of independent film and videomaker as an l brief, unframed segments inventively '10ue pass con elpapel higenrcoi" : Unfor- fashion individualistic truth teller in a time when documenting dance performance, tunately, between the excerpt and the live contemporary individualism, and truth-telling are 'up and other reflections of translation, we never did find out what is against the wall':' His comments were culture. happening to the toilet paper. heard in the AN's Mark Goodson Theater_ } A preview of the American series DWPar- Perhaps the most notable example of outfitted with eight monitors and seating E ches; scheduled to air by satellite this fall extra-national solidarity video was Waiting for 125. The Goodson provided a central was introduced by Gerald O'Grady, for'the Invasion {1984}, produced by U.S. arena for the festival and was the location executive producer for the Learning Chan- panelists Dee Dee Halleck and Karen of two lecture presentations which set up a nel. Video art by Ilene Segalove, Peter Ranucci. Halleck remarked on the unfor- context of commercial television, its DAgostinq Tom Rubnitz and Ann tunate misnomer before explaining the origins and its ability to manipulate political Magnuson was chosen for its ironic treat- premise: in order for U.S. citizens to debate. ' ment of television and presented by a host understand and care about Nicaragua, Media preservationist and critic Robert in an elaborate set. The combination was they are put in touch, via a familiar jour- Rosen's presentation Televisiopin Search not ideal. Executive producer Melinda nalistic style, with other U.S. citizens living ofltsei tire 1950% charted the evolution Ward introduced her clip from the in- and working in Nicaragua. progress series Alive From OFF Center of stylistic conventions which have Of the national tapes, Tiempo de Audacia become so ingrained in our collective con--: scheduled for broadcast summer 1985. of IA TimeeofDanng) {1983). produced by sciousness as to become an ineluctable The promising series, a co-production reality. The legacy of radio and film, televi- Walker Art Center and Twin Cities Public Radio Venceremos and distributed by sion's metamorphosis of news into nar- Television, intends to encompass the per- panelist Moises Ecalante of the El Salvador rative entertainment, and the mediums, forming arts and video in the creation of Film and Video Project. had the greatest sometimes hilarious self awareness were non-mainstream programming. visceral impact. A Tlme ofDaring was all cowered with wit and insight Belgian curator and producer Chris Dercon made just days after the U.S. invasion of Grenada and contrasts the elite forces of Producer and media consultant. Peter presented the acclaimed There is a Video the regime, North American advisors, the Brodenck's presentation Fbor Counter- Cassette in the Soup. The 63-minute FMLN, and the people of El Salvador point, Controversy By Television, was ex- historical overview of video art, directed by haustively researched and of particular ap- Stefan Decostere, who collaborated with The panel Conjuring the Image of Music propriateness in this election year. Ex- Dercon on the concept, employs electronic made issues self evident through luxtapov- amining issue by issue, pro and con, in- graphics to mix excerpts and interviews of t+on rather than discourse. The SRO au - using cluding advocacy T.V. concerning gun con- art and artists from all over the world, d .ence was lured by the promises of reg . trol, smoking control, abortion, U .S . in- crawling translations when needed The gee music concert docu-video Against this the tervention in Central America, and nuclear creators wisely use the form to reflect background was screened Kit Frtrgorald power -Brodenck was able t0 pose the comer!, arid the res,jlt ~s v; tiirnsical and a-d Peter Gordun's excerpt from The full of L:')CUFIVE'rIt ;Lrnal tb(:,rLIty question "is controversy by televrsron Return a'rhe Narnv (1'3841, a clroreog- fair)" He explored the medium's proclivity r,3phy lot carnew and the cows accorn- for certain approaches. emol~onalrsrn over parlrod by a hauntingly astringent etiarnbor factuality, negative tactics over positive ap- music Tfre cflect rims cool arid,afiIul, the peals, the impact of satire end the atten- rr'roption ,l)olile 5tuvvar(Copeland, drurn- dant risk of backfire. rner for The Police, con it ibutod toolageol

--.himself in African locations . Disclaimed as Of equal length and entirely different ap- a rough cut, the material looked somewhat proach, the Yonemoto's Vault is an ex - like documentation of a print-ad campaign . lremely concise and multifaceted soap The soundtrack was expectedly incidental- opera- The "face value" is entertainment, An audience member asked if Copeland but the wit is so edged, and the Freudian was responsible for the images of hiMself childhood flashbacks so aptly quintessen- on TV. His answer- no, it's just rock and tial, that this Texas love affair between a roll-was jeered- Moderator Bob Wisdom - cowboy-abstrct-expressionist and a commented upon reggae's potential to dif- female-cel ¬ist-polevaulter deepens with fuse what he characterized as white rock each rerun . Furthermore, the form is a very and roles fixation with blue smoke, leather: clever rationale for using color, B&W and bikinis and flame-throwers--At this point, sepia together with a looped soundtrack of unannounced panelist Beth B's new clip Wagner climaxes . Dominatrir, a bondage fantasy of women ravaging a lone mechanic in a garage was Downey's nearly half-hour Shifters screened . The audience erupted with con- stretches the viewer with a complicated demnations and shouts of "We're here to philosophical videotreatise which explores talk about drums." When tempers cooled, translation, transportation, transmigration, the question "Is there an inherent transformation, and transfiguration . It dichotomy between the 'hot' physicality of fascinates with his dauntless application of reggae and the 'cool' distance of video.?" these ideas to people, places, things, went unanswered. An evening which history, music, images and relationships- threatened to disintegrate was suddenly Shot mostly in Cairo and edited with many rescued by Babatunde Olatuni, who re- triangular quantel wipes, one cannot help counted a tale of the first flute; the famous but admire the artist's hautersr and African drummer blew an ornate little tune deliberate esotericism;The art woe Id rr,~u- to the crowd through his hands conjuring dlemerr, i e.curators, iashifters, if l'mnot up an image of music- mistaken, are seen i"ut-takes and are-at - - a loss for words Later that night Once in a Lifetime, a . - 69-minute music video montage built - Transforming itself throughout the entire - around the Talking Heads, drew overflow run of the festival was the ravishing two- crowds and necessitated a simultaneous channel, six-monitor, quad-sound installa- double screening- The 1984 work is ex- tion The West. New Mexican landscapes, tremely complex, mesmerizing, indebted saturated with color, Indian ruins, a giant to video art pioneers and deserves serious radio telescopic dish and a mirrored sphere consideration as a music video milestone- interpenetrate through the use of con- David Byrne dropped in on writer Dan tinuous horizonta1360° panning and ver- Graham's presentations Rock.Ady RBirgion- tical banded wiping .--The Vaulkas have-_ Sunday afternoon . Graham's fascinating created one-oFire-cleareszsxtensivns-of--t thesis began with Ann Lee, founder otthe somicalled-traditional artistic preoccupa- Shakers, and ended up with rock priestess tions. The West breathes life into the Pa tti Smith. The lecture gained almost representation of landscapes by including nothing in its rough cut video form . time, sound, camera and post production technologies without sacrificing Video Art painterliness, lyricism or spiritual content. Premieres and recent work by world class Two important presentations, Barbara Lon- artists displayed a ripeness that signals don's Video: Recent Narratives including both good health and great promise for over 40 works, and Fujiko Nakaya's video art Works that aroused admiration, historical surrey of Japanese Video Art, in- controversy and conversation inside and cluding over 25 works, were on view in small screening rooms through the festival . Theatre among out of the Goodson See report on video art in Japan, page 10 Marita Sturken, curators Barbara London, this issue. Fujiko Nakaya and the many festival par- ticipants included Gary Hilt's Why DO The catalogue for the 1984 National Video Things Get in a Muddle? (Come on Festival may be ordered by mail. Send a- - Petunia), Pier Marton's heaven is what /'tits check for $0.00 to: American Film - done (for, my fellow beings), Dan Reeves' Instifut% Television and Video Dept ., 2021 Sabda, Bruce and Norman Yonemoo's N. Western Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027. Vault; Juan Downey's Shifters' and the Vasulka's installation The West. metalogue makes Hill's extraordinary Patrick Scott is an artist, independent producer, and designer. He isChair- Looking Glass reference to Through the man of the Video Council of the tong (leach Museum of Art Foundation, and The camera examines a detailed "real- serves on the Foundation's Board- time" dialogue between a father and daughter spoken and motivated backwards. shot end to beginning and played back in reverse . As the credits finish "come on petunia" becomes. scrabble- like, "once upon a time." Marton's brief video poem instantly creates a deep mood out of sluggishly beaut,lul sounds and blurry sights A little boy spouts simple self-evident truths The effect is infused with poignancy Reeves' Sabda ~,sas st,ot in tnd!a and its twi,1ve rmtlutt "> ~,vefe in Sprrt!r1 by lhi mystical pout nl praise . Kabrr Subtlt- tlov^etarfirrys of %tiords, Sou"tIS aryl images put the vurtNrr in toucp Will, a re.r;rlrn tit-yolId ilppeot,lriL .t'S