Introduction to Black Square Video Projects - Art in the Era of the Moving Image

Marina Abramović & Ulay - The Other: Rest Energy (1980): "I was not in charge...we actually held an arrow on the weight of our bodies, and the arrow is pointed right into my heart It was a performance about the complete and total trust ".

Hello all,

I'm starting Black Square Video as a Project dedicated to conversation about the role of the Image in the contemporary culture and, will specifically focus on the segment of the art world that is often overlooked in popular culture - the art video. It is a discipline of art that is full of experiment and contemplation. It spans to encompass numerous genres from abstraction to realism, performance, animation, etc.., and works vary greatly in duration. With that in mind, I want to expand a bit more on the history of the subject, take a look at how the markets treat it and how the audiences respond to it. But most importantly, I'd love to begin sharing the works themselves and giving you a bit of a background for context.

If you don't already, I hope you get to enjoy it, and maybe love it as much as I do.

I'll begin with introducing a few elements and issues that shape the field.

From the nascent times of its development, humanity has used simple and complex forms of visual communication, defining, redefining, expressing and sharing what we know and how we think in various modes which appeal to and implement our visual sensory apparatus. From providing instruction in utilitarian matters, to inspiring and enticing flights of creativity - visual expression has been a fundamental factor in our evolutionary development - and we simply, can’t get enough of it.

Perhaps the answer to this attraction lies in the fact that 30% of our brain [more than all other senses], is dedicated to processing visual information. Visual communication is a powerful agent on which governments, institutions, political movements, advertising agencies, as well as creative industries rely on heavily. It is a guiding factor in shaping the way we see ourselves, identify socially and create culture. Needless to say, that in today's era of mass-communication, the leverage of visual dialog on our existence is at its hight, affecting the daily life from elemental matters to topics that are universal. It easily transcends language barriers and international divides.

The Moving Image, is the latest frontier in the evolutionary development of visual discourse and could be, arguably, the most impactful one yet. What separates it from still images, whether painting or photography, is the introduction of 'time' to fine art. Through this durational quality, art of the moving image began to create new meanings while forging an undeniable appeal to the daily experience of the unfolding life. As humans, we simply gravitate to a story that is told through time and mimics our experience of life.

So why is it that the the most critical, revered, contemplative and pioneering ideas expressed today in fine art and visual culture should remain inaccessible to most? Why is it, that in the era of streaming mass-communication, we still have to spend so much time and effort seeking out works designed for the digital space, only to find them locked up inside the gallery and institutional walls, or dispersed, so wide and few, in the ocean of the virtual space?

Is it because the fine art content is unattractive to popular or mass culture?

On the contrary, the economic impact of the cultural sector on global economies is becoming increasingly prominent, with observable shifts towards experience economy in examples of Saadiyat Island and the Bilbao Effects among many others. Not to be dismissed, is a proliferating growth of international public art platforms which increased tenfold in the past decade - all, clearly expose the current penchant towards new and even esoteric experiences of elite and popular cultures alike. However, the economic and time costs required to keep up with international global scene, do seem to fall beyond the average income bracket.

So, perhaps it is due to the lack of demand for experimental and critical dialog in the everyday life?

Lets take a glance at the neighboring field of cinema, with which video art and the moving image have a medium in common. When looking at broadcasting and distribution markets, we see a rising demand for critical content and a renewed interest towards the avant-garde and experimental cinema. The trend, in fact, has been on the rise in the past 20 years, and is asserting itself through renewed efforts in archival restoration and digitalization of video art and art film.

Additionally, video art archives, like the Electronic Arts Intermix est. 1971 have been successful within the mass-audience market over the past four decades. Today, avant-garde film collections like Criterion, have extended their archives to general audiences through collaboration with on-demand subscription platform FilmStruck. Lets also not overlook the sudden rise in demand for SlowTV programming, indicating an increasing need for accessible and diverse visual content.

Lastly, I cannot help but shine some major recognition on contemporary thinkers like Lawrence Lessig, who has been spearheading the conversation for freedom and access in visual culture, propagating it as a mode of economic and cultural growth, and importantly, sustainability. Expanding further on these ideas, Antonio Negri offers perspectives on collapsing traditional hierarchical economic structures in favor of democratized collaborative networks [which still engage organizational parameters]. Finally, the man after my own heart - David Joselit, one of the first to propose a model of image-as-currency for the new digital and post-internet era.

Perhaps then, the idea of establishing a new standard for the way we engage with art in daily life is one whose time has finally come...

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