Our presentation for Red’s Applications class is tomorrow. I am in the very first group of the year! I never win at the lottery, but this time I think I’ve struck gold. I have a great group, and we get along pretty well. Our presentation will be a combination of media…including a live skit. I won’t have any lines, but I do get to act like a parakeet. Sweet.
The presentation itself is to be a reaction to Vito Acconci’s talk on some of his works. While Vito is now involved in a number of architectural art projects, he was the first “conceptual artist”. I had never heard that term before, but by the end of his presentation I think I had a good idea what it means. His most visionary pieces, in my mind, were his video pieces. He truly pushed the envelope of how video could be used in a creative way. His early videos were lonely pieces…him in a room speaking to the camera. The videos were always sexually charged, but in a homogenous way. He never described the object of his affection…the viewer. He simply wanted to connect to them through a medium which, by definition, can never be interacted with. He eventually realized the folly in attempting to connect with people by acting in a way I can only describe as “creepy”. From stalking individuals in “Following Piece”, to self-mutilation in “Conversions”, to what amounts to simulated rape in “Pryings”…much of his content is difficult to watch. I can only perceive these pieces from my own context, and I wonder what people would think if they were performed today via YouTube, or if “Following Piece” was published on Flickr. Would the videos be banned? Would the authorities pursue him? I’d say almost assuredly yes. But that’s sort of the appeal. In our many discussions, we talked about art being something we can either identify with, be repulsed by, or both. And these examples of Vito’s work certainly fall into the the “repulsed” category to me. But I can’t deny that it is art.
Fortunately, Vito’s work evolved, and the Acconci Studio which he founded has produced a number of admirable and beautiful works. I particularly liked the plaza they transformed at Queens College, using an existing set of stone spheres as the inspiration, they made a drab outdoor public space both inviting and interesting. And they transformed a typical Japanese row house into a fascinating commercial space. But the repulsive nature of some of his art definitely shown through…such as in their proposal for the new WTC site using a “pre-exploded” building. Not terribly sensitive, and the building itself was completely incongruous with the Manhattan skyline.
So, my reaction to Vito was definitely a mixed bag. At times, I was in awe. Other times, I was a bit disgusted. But I feel blessed that I was able to see and personally respond such a notable artist.