An unconventional exhibit featuring experimental videos created by visual artists during the 1960s and 1970s will be on
view at the Yale University Art Gallery from Dec. 16 to Feb. 1.
"Animating the Static -- Experiments in Video 1965-1980" reexamines the revolution in image-making made possible by the widespread availability of low-cost portable video cameras.
The majority of artists working in video in its early years had no formal training in film or television production -- nor did they intend to create works for the big screen or for prime-time broadcast, notes the exhibit's organizer, Elisabeth Hodermarsky, assistant curator of prints, drawings and photographs.
These artists were concerned, instead, with their own explorations in minimal and conceptual art, says Ms. Hodermarsky. "With video, artists were able to exploit their images more than with any other medium and, if not control, at least influence the way in which these images were being interpreted by others."
The videos will be shown on the fourth floor of the gallery Tuesday-Saturday. They have been loosely grouped together according to the artists' aims in creating them.
The morning loop -- to be presented
10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday -- features tapes by artists who were exploring the inherent qualities of the medium. These include Nam June Paik's "Global Groove," Bill Viola's "Chott el-Djerid (A Portrait in Light and Heat)," Robert Morris' "Exchange," Mary Lucier's "Bird's Eye," and several short tapes by Dara Birnbaum, including "Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman," "Kiss the Girls: Make Them Cry," "Pop-Pop Video: Part One -- General Hospital/Olympic Women Speed Skating" and "Pop-Pop Video: Part Two -- Kojak/Wang."
The afternoon loop -- running 1-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1-6 p.m. Sunday -- features artists using videotape for live performance. One group explores the perceptual and conceptual nature of artistic expression and the interplay of illusion and reality. These works include Peter Campus' "Three Transitions," Vito Acconci's "Open Book," William Wegman's "The Best of Wegman," John Baldessari's "I am Making Art" and Joan Jonas' "Vertical Roll." The second group focuses on a range of political issues. The videotapes in this section of the program are: Art Farm's "The Cadillac Ranch Show" and "Media Burn," Howardena Pindell's "Free, White, and 21," Martha Rosler's "Vital Statistics of a Citizen, Simply Obtained" and Richard Serra's "Television Delivers People."
The Yale University Art Gallery, located at the corner of Chapel and York streets, is open to the public free of charge 10 a.m.-
5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1-6 p.m. Sunday. For further information, call 432-0600. A museum entrance for people using wheelchairs is located at 201 York St.; for further information about access, call 432-0606.