Narrative takes a central role in most, if not all of my artworks. I am often to keen to tell a story, something that develops over time. When it comes to site-specific works that I have made, the narrative might even be driven by details from a place.
Recently, my artwork has been becoming more stand-alone and often a narrative will be confined to just one book (as opposed to a series) and because of this I have been keen to think how I might escape the linearity of the form. Instead of looking out there at other book-objects, I will look at three works in different media to see whether ideas from those could translate across.
Journey Into Fear, Stan Douglas
Journey Into Fear, Stan Douglas
The first is a video installation called Journey Into Fear by Stan Douglas (2001), which I saw at the Serpentine Gallery many years ago. The work is a single screen projection which at first glance appears to be a feature film; some kind of drama set on a ship. The film is mostly made up of exchanges between characters inside the boat - these scenes are interspersed with exterior shots or views of the ship at sea. Except for the exchanges appearing a little cryptic and the dialogue jarring slightly, as if it has been dubbed, the film seems like any other thriller of the genre. Things begin to change however once the viewer sees the same scene repeated, but with the characters saying different dialogue. It turns out that the scenes loop randomly and have several possible dialogue tracks for each, changing the nature of the interaction and subsequently the flow of the story itself. A viewer would have to watch the film for 157 minutes to witness all the possible permutations - this in itself means that each gallery visitor is likely to have a slightly different experience of the artwork, as they are unlikely to see the entire work.
Her Story, Main Screen.
The second example I would like to talk about is Her Story; a video game (Android and
Apple) where players must assume the role of a detective, watching interview footage from a case in order to work out the details and solve it. On the surface the game sounds straightforward, but compared to others, it is pretty unique. When you first open the app you are presented with the desktop search terminal from a police computer (circa 1994) and apart from viewing the 'Read Me' files on the desktop, all you can do is enter key words into the search bar and view the footage that is returned.
Her Story, Interview Footage
Each interview clip is short, only giving you a partial scene, so you are
forced to think up different key words (terms that you think might appear in a
dialogue) in order to piece the scenario together. This technique makes the
game mysterious, but compelling, as the player has to listen and look out for
clues that might suggest a key word or phrase that might broaden the search. As
clips are sorted by key words and not date, the player might be hearing
interview footage from any part of the enquiry. Playing the game makes you feel
like you are creating a huge jigsaw, but without knowing how many pieces you
have left. This narrative device is fascinating and hugely compulsive.
Still from Imitation of Life.
Imitation of Life is an imaginative music video for the group R.E.M., which features a
crowded scene at what appears to be a party. The camera zooms in and out and
the footage plays backwards and forwards throughout the video, highlighting
snippets of action at the party. The thread that ties the video is that
characters in the midst of actions at the party appear to be lip-syncing the
words to the song. The technical devices used make us unaware of the real duration of the
events we are seeing, and the constant refocusing of the frame tease out new
narratives, making us think of the endless possibility in each moment.
Still from Imitation of Life.
Is there scope for this type of story telling in the book form? Could the
author replay scenes but with different elements as Stan Douglas does, or could
a reader be guided through a book in different ways in order to discover
different events first as in Her Story? Or maybe the reader could pick a new narrative out of
an existing one like Imitation of Life?
On Monday I went to see the recently opened ‘Conceptual Art in Britain 1964-1979’ at the Tate Britain and it was nice to see the exhibition of books and the interesting challenges that that faces.
‘The book is a medium that requires no visual display other that to be read, an the active mental participation of the reader. The book imposes no information system but the printed image and word; it is a complete entity in which both public and private documents are reproduced. The book is a collection of photographs, writings and ideas - it is a product of thought and of imagination. It is a result of concrete activities, and serves to document, and to offer information as the means and material of art’ 1.
In the introduction he describes the point at which book arts evolved:
‘At that time, there was a move away from an informal art, which was visual and in which the information was emotionally charged… This art had been made up of traditional artisan techniques of communications (like colour, collage, dripping and action painting) leaving little scope for public participation. The move was towards an informale freddo, involving the spectator. The visual and physical data of this technique was achieved through technological and biological media, possessing a small visual content, but demanding a high degree of participation and contemplation from the spectator.’ 1.
book as artwork 1960 - 1972 - Exhibition Nigel Greenwood Gallery B.
The Book as Artwork exhibition showed books in in clear perspex vitrines along the outside of the wall. These were only partially closed so that rarer books at the back could be displayed and those that could be handled placed nearer the front.
Front Cover of Art - Language, Volume 1 Number 1, 1969 B.
The evolution of the book form in art can be linked to an adoption by artists as a way of dissememinating their work. Such as the artists group Art & Language. In the exhibition at the Tate the original publications were kept in vitrines with facsimiles of the pages pasted on the wall. Allowing the gallery visitor the chance to read the work. The only failing of this system was time, but it gave a nice contrast to the idea of art object and art communication. Preserving the original intent of the object in communicating and sharing information. The work (the book) is a container for the ideas and is a vehicle for them. The design choice of the book, had to be matter of fact and functional, in order to work as read information. Though the book is still a vital component and is much a part of the ideas contained within.
‘A little about the form of the ideas. There have been, and still are, artists “who write” as a supplement to their object work. The artists who founded Precinct Publications have increasingly, over the past two years, been placed in a position such that they “only write”, and as such many people, it can be assumed, would not allow them qualification “artist”. It matters not. The crucial question is not, whether or not they are artists, but whether or not their remarks, assertions, etc. hold out as relevant to certain problematic aspects of art today. The artists think, rightly or wrongly, that these aspects sufficiently warrant their attention for them to form Precinct Publications as vehicle through which their ideas can be made public.’ 2.
If you have a chance I urge you to see the show. It brings together a lot of examples of reading and language, through books, within a gallery space.
References 1. CELANT, G. book as artwork 1960 - 1972. 1972. 2.An Introduction to Precinct Publications, Coventry, 1968 Images A. CELANT, G. book as artwork 1960 - 1972. 1972. B.Conceptual Art in Britain 1964 - 1979. Tate, London. 2016
