Gesamtkunstwerk: a total work of art

Derives from Richard Wagner and his essay 1849 “The Art-Work of the Future,” in which opera

offered a meeting point for all of the arts in a total art work.

“The Theater of Totality with its multifarious complexities of light, space, plane, form, motion, sound, man – and

with all the possibilities for varying and combining these elements – must be an ORGANISM.”

Lazlo Moholy-Nagy, 1924

1960s experiments

– creating new media viewing environments

“Movie Drome,” Stan Vanderbeek, 1963

“Movie Drome,” exterior view

“Movie Drome,” interior view

“Multiple projections occupied the foreground of a visual culture that was intent upon liberating

itself from the conventional concept of the painting, from the technical and material

restrictions of imaging technology and from the repressive determinants of the social codes.”

Peter Weibel

multiple screens

– expansion of visual horizons– intensification of visual experience

– new approach to narrative– diffuse and fragmented p.o.v. correlated with

new perception of the world

“Glimpses of the USA,” Ray + Charles Eames, 1959

“Think,” presented in the “Ovoid Theater,”Ray + Charles Eames, 1965

“Outer and Inner Space,” Andy Warhol, 1965

sculptural video installation

“ Shower,” Robert Whitman, 1964, film loop, shower curtain, water

“Video Pyramid,” Nam June Paik, 1982

“Benevolence,” Nam June Paik

“Incubator,” Tony Oursler, 2003

“Junk,” Tony Oursler, 2003

“Underwater (Blue/Green),” Tony Oursler, 1995

“Heaven and Earth,” Bill Viola, 1992

the physical properties of moving image:

– projector beam as sculptural form– transparency of the screen

– seriality of the film sequence

“Line Describing a Cone,” Anthony McCall, 1973

“The Veiling,” Bill Viola, 1995

“Shutter Interface,” Paul Sharits, 1975

“Running Falling,” Jim Campbell, 2000

“Nantes Triptych,” Bill Viola, 1992

– scale– participation– movement

– multiple viewpoints– attention to surrounding space

– dissolution of Cartesian coordinates

“The Crossing,” Bill Viola, 1996

“The Crossing,” Bill Viola, 1996

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“The Greeting,” Bill Viola, 1995

“Winchester,” Jeremy Blake, 2003

“Going Forth by Day,” Bill Viola, 2002, video installation in five parts

“Knots and Surfaces,” Diana Thater, 2001

“Smokescreen,” Jennifer Steinkamp, 1996

“sin(time),” Jennifer Steinkamp, 2001

“Late and Soon, Occident Trotting,” Diana Thater, 1993, four projectors

“Sip My Ocean,” Pipilotti Rist, 1996, two projectors

“Corps Étranger (Foreign Body),” Mona Hatoum, 1994

“Corps Étranger (Foreign Body),” Mona Hatoum, 1994

“Climate,” Inigo Manglano-Ovalle, 2000, three-channel video installation

narrative strategies

– reduction– episodic

– split/recombined– ambient

– spatialized– rhizomatic dispersal

“Tuin,” Runa Islam, 1998

“Horror Chase,” Kevin + Jennifer McCoy, 2003

“Win, Place or Show,” Stan Douglas, 1998

“In Love,” Patty Chang, 2001, two-channel installation

“Love Is a Treasure,” Eija-Liisa Ahtila, 2003

“Consolation Service,” Eija Liisa Ahtila,

“Electric Earth,” Doug Aitken, 1999

“Electric Earth,” Doug Aitken, 1999

“Electric Earth,” Doug Aitken, 1999

“Blow Debris,” Doug Aitken, 2002

“Blow Debris,” Doug Aitken, 2002

“Blow Debris,” Doug Aitken, 2002

“The Moment,” Doug Aitken, 2005

“The Moment,” Doug Aitken, 2005

interactive video installations

“The Legible City,” Jeffrey Shaw, 1988 - 1991

“Be Now Here,” Michael Naimark, 1995 -2002

Immersion vest, Char Davies, 1995

“Osmose,” Char Davies, 1995

“Osmose,” Char Davies, 1995

“Osmose,” Char Davies, 1005

“Osmose,” Char Davies, 1995

“Cockfight Arena,” Eddo Stern, 2001