'CAMP' - JANUARY 2009
Francesco Bernardelli screened an intensive and comprehensive program of short video fragments and full feature films, revolving around notions of CAMP and GLAM. He tried to "give some sense of unity and historical development to an area of reflection and cultural analysis quite explored in the UK and English field of studies, but perhaps not much elsewhere". The program aimed to (re)activate first person-experiences, looking at works that follow a (semi, partial or integral-) autobiographical turn - partly derived from the "underground" or "underworld" milieu in which they originated. Talking about these historical documents/excerpts/memorabilia sheds a clearer light on the material, although some might still be 'resistant' today and needs to be framed within the art of its time.
Glitterbug (1994), by Derek Jarman, 54', b/w & color - Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis (2006), by Mary Jordan, 96', b/w & color - Ziggy Stardust (excerpt from the "final performance" in '73), 10' - The Cockettes (2002), by Bill Weber and David Weissman, 100', b/w & color - Selection of historic performances by ROXY MUSIC, MARC BOLAN, 20' - The Lickerish Quartet (1970), by Radley Metzger, 90', color - Hermitage (1967/68), by Carmelo Bene, 27', color - Duet Song (1999) + Scherzo (2001), by Claudio Guarino, 10' in total - The Legend of Leigh Bowery (2001), by Charles Atlas, 60', color.
PROGRAMME 14/01/09:
Wild Tigers I Have Known, (2007), by Cam Archer, 82', color - Funeral Parade of Roses/ Bara no Soretsu (1969), by Toshio Matsumoto, 104', b/w, Japanese (w/English sub.) - Barbarella (1968), by Roger Vadim, 97', color, wth Jane Fonda - Excerpts from: Myra Breckinridge (1970), by Michael Sarne, 94', color, with Raquel Welch - Women in Revolt (1971), by A.Warhol/P.Morrissey, 99' , color.
PARALLEL SCREENING PROGRAMME:
Light/Dark (Cologne) by Abramovic/Ulay, the Netherlands, 1977, 9'19'' (sound, colour). Collection: Netherlands Media Art Institute. 'Light/Dark' took place at the International Art Fair in Cologne, Germany, in October 1977. The performance was later re-enacted in a studio in Amsterdam and filmed by Louis van Gasteren (1978).
Loco by General Idea, 1984, 8'57'' (sound, colour). Collection: Netherlands Media Art Institute. Disguised as poodles, the three artists of General Idea backtrack through rotating filmclips of Miss General Idea 1968 in quest of their lunatic inspiration. This tape is part of Prime Time Video.
For Example Decorated by Lawrence Weiner, USA, 1977, 21'24'' (sound, colour). Collection: Netherlands Media Art Institute.
Following a format similar to a TV talk show, this video is performed by three well known artists: Brita Le Va, Peter Gordon and James Sarkis.
Split Seconds of Magnificence by Lydia Schouten, the Netherlands, 1984, 15' (Installation, sound, colour) - music: Sander Wissing. Collection: Netherlands Media Art Institute, Instituut Collectie Nederland, Groninger Museum.
'Split seconds of magnificence' can be seen as a turning point in Schouten's work. Split seconds... depicts the ultimate young girl's dream: of being adored by everyone, of being ravishingly beautiful and staying that way. The yearning for eternal beauty is represented by image material that seems to come straight from advertising campaigns for luxury articles. 'Split seconds of magnificence' had perhaps best be described as an adventure video work.
Ulay in Photography by Ulay/Marjoleine Boonsma, the Netherlands, 1997, 58'00'' (sound, colour). Collection: Netherlands Media Art Institute.
This documentary by Marjoleine Boonsma portrays Ulay in relation to his photographs. The performances he did together with Marina Abramovic are not mentioned. It is about him, alone, together with his camera. He tells his story in German, Dutch and English and speaks about his childhood, how he came to Amsterdam, how he expressed his craziness at the time in the photographs of himself and his actions.
Portrait by Servie Janssen, the Netherlands, 1976, 16'51'' (sound, b/w). Collection: Netherlands Media Art Institute.
Janssen's face is filmed up close. His eyes are not visible; only his mouth, chin and cheeks can be seen. Through a looking glass that he holds and moves in front of the camera lens, different parts of his face are enlarged. The artist explores the movements, structure and surface of his face in depth.
Movements in Light by Nan Hoover, the Netherlands, 1975, 16'33'' (sound, b/w). Collection: Netherlands Media Art Institute, Instituut Collectie Nederland.
'Movement in Light' is one of Hoover's earliest video pieces. It is almost entirely made out of decorated movements of her own body which she followed on a monitor. Movement, the body, light and time play a crucial part in Nan Hoover's work.
His essays has been published by istitutions like MAMbo, Bologna, Papesse Contemporary art center, Siena, Castello di Rivoli, GAM-Modern Art Gallery, Torino, Stedelijk Museum, De Appel, Amsterdam. Among the recent projects, he curated Split Subjects (De Appel, Amsterdam 2005) and Figures of Excess (Beursschouwburg, Bruxelles, 2006). He is part of the curatorial team for Theater der Welt/Essen 2010.
