Daniel Buren, New York City (sponsored by John Weber Gallery); Joseph Beuys, René Block Gallery, Ronald Feldman Fine Arts; Hans Haacke, John Weber Gallery; Douglas Davis, Video Distribution Inc., Idea Warehouse; Roger Welch, Stefanotty Gallery; Barry Le Va, Bykert Gallery, downtown; Roelof Louw, 392 West Broadway; Dan Flavin, Leo Castelli Gallery; Jacki Apple, Martha Wilson, Nancy Kitchel, Martha Jackson West
Artforum, Sept. 1975, v. 14, no. 1
Review of two sets of video works. The author treats the first work of Douglas Davis as a practical supplement to Davis's own critique of art in Artforum, which warns against the dangers of creating art about art or art too invested in its own structure at the expense of meaning in the real world.
Fragments for a New Art of the 70's shows Davis typing his unedited thoughts into a teletypewriter which displays them. However, despite Davis's complaints about banality in art, the author notes that Davis' thoughts as reflected on the teletypewriter are undeniably cliché, and ultimately form does dominate the piece rather than content. The author is similarly disappointed by The Last Videotape (in the World) which he finds relies on the conventions of melodrama for its affect. Caracas, Austrian and Florence were intended for cable broadcast and describe acts which the viewer at home is supposed to perform along with Davis, creating a meditation on distance and contact.
Contact comes into play again in Roger Welch's work, Rodger Woodward - Niagara Falls Project, a two channel piece showing a video interview of the survivor of a trip over the falls and on the opposite wall, a film loop of the river to the falls with the sound of water. The piece emphasizes the visualization of a recounted experience and the effort of the viewer becoming aware of his own body in placing himself in the position of the other.
ITEM 1975.018 – available for viewing in the Research Centre
Videos, Artworks and Artists Cited
Fragments for a New Art of the 70's – Douglas Davis
Austrian – Douglas Davis
Florence – Douglas Davis
Caracas – Douglas Davis
The Last Videotape (in the World) – Douglas Davis
Images from the Present Tense II – Douglas Davis
Rodger Woodward - Niagara Falls Project – Roger Welch