Reading response 9

Keller and Ward, "Matthew Barney and the Paradox of the Neo-Avant-Garde Blockbuster"

1. What has changed in the gallery art world that allows Barney to describe his work as “sculpture”? In other words, how has the definition of sculpture changed since the 1960s, and why?

The definition of sculpture has moved from its earlier direct objectified meaning towards a looser definition that encompasses many differing artistic practices and particularly with minimalism the loss of the object and introduction of performance as sculpture.

2. Tricky but important question: Why was minimalist sculpture seen as a reaction against the “modernist hymns to the purity and specificity of aesthetic experience.” Hint: Do not confuse this with our discussion of structural / minimal film as modernist; they are essentially saying that minimalist sculpture is post-modernist.

Minimalist sculpture opposed the traditional modernist aesthetic relationship of the viewer and the sculpture. By disrupting the medium specific creating"what might be seen as inert and passive objects." the veiwers had to discover the meaning of the artwork through their temporal and spatial relationship with the object vs. the modernist which draws the veiwers attention to the object only.

3. Describe the role of the body in the works of Vito Acconci and Chris Burden.

The Body became a part of the sculpture in their earliest works that they were involved with using the body, later they used the bodies to call particular attention to the actual activity as the work of art, erasing the commodity and objectification of the sculpture.

4. What do the authors mean when they say that Cremaster’s “genealogy in endurance works has a dual articulation”? What are the two influences?

Cremaster approaches endurance both as a physical application to the performance in the film coming the from the performance art tradition of Burden and Abramovic. It also plays upon the endurance of the viewer in the tradition of the avant-garde temporal tradition. The temporal endurance being influenced by such filmmakers as Andy Warhol and Micheal Snow.

5. In the opinion of the authors, what are the key differences between performance art of the1960s/1970s and Barney’s Cremaster cycle?

The main difference is that the performance art of the 60's and 70's functioned against the art object and any commodification of such focusing on the ephemeral action as the work of art itself. Barney's Cremaster cycle funcioned to create object commodities in its creation (Relics: the objects in the films) and of its creation (Traces: the film itself).

Walley, "Modes of Film Practice in the Avant-Garde"

1. What are the so-called two worlds of film art that Walley intends to describe in this article? What is the basic difference between the two?

Walley intends to describe the world of the 'avant-gatrde' or 'experimental' film and the world the 'artists' film/video'. Basically the first world is the cinematic film-makers that believe in film-making as a craft and the latter is the artistic gallery film-makers that believe in film as a object of artistic expression.

2. What is meant by “mode of film practice”? Give two famous examples on non-experimental modes of film practice. Why does Walley argue that the concept of the mode of film practice can help distinguish between the experimental film and gallery art worlds?

"Mode of film practice" is meant to refer to the stylistic norms and forms which are shaped, and supported by the specific production, distribution, exhibition, and reception processes.

3. What are some of the key differences between the experimental and gallery art worlds in terms of production and distribution?