DOUBLE LENS
Hito Steyerl – Aesthetics of Resistance?
This text was a little difficult for me to get to the main
thrust of.
It opens and closes with the imposing history of a Nazi
building, which now houses the Lintz Art Academy, and uses this as a base for
an argument. The argument posed here, as I understand it, is that of the place
of artistic research as codified in the contemporary art world. Steyerl seems
to debate as to whether art should be subject to the same disciplines as other
academic research, as it might be incongruous (to art itself?) to do so.
The passage referring directly to the filmic essay gives
some examples of the development of the genre at the time when this term for it
was coined. I believe he is saying this was the period when it was being
recognized as “artistic research”.
Or perhaps taking the form that is now recognized as
artistic research?
Although personally I doubt these artists were very
concerned as to whether or not they were developing artistic research per se –
I imagine they were more consumed with their subject matter, their filmic
medium and how to present and discuss issues within the context of the
integrity of film as a medium.
And as for the argument questioning the place of art as
research in an academic institution?
Well it could possibly be argued that ANY subject has been
forced into the disciplinary structure of an institution! Why are sciences
considered as inextricable from an academic institution, for example? Or
languages, or even mathematics for that matter. They are all universal structures common to the human mind
and it’s ability to observe, conceptualize, imagine, draw conclusions and
evolve. They are all capable of “living free in the world” existing outside the
confines of an institution – just as art is!
Nora M Alter – Journal of Visual Culture
This is a very comprehensive and comprehendible text. It
traces the beginnings of the Essay in literary terms as a collection of arguments,
questions and concepts based on any subject matter and follows it through to
the film as essay and up to recent contemporary developments in the immersive
environment of installation.
I don’t see that it really poses any arguments or problems,
actually. It comes across as more
of an informative report.
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