When I first saw the impressively wall-size Charles Atlas
video installations at Luhring
Augustine Bushwick (up through July 15th) I was excited.
Animated abstraction—they could be paintings come to life. But unlike a good
painting, where your interest grows the more you look at it (I’m thinking of my experience
with the de
Koonings at MoMA) these pieces, upon extended viewing, became more
repetitious and tedious. How could that be? Video and film, just by being able
to incorporate movement, should be more interesting than, say (for comparison,
given the scale) a Sol
LeWitt wall drawing. And it can happen: Nam June Paik, who started
the whole video phenom, was a master of surprise. Christian Marclay’s
film smorgsbords can keep you transfixed for, well, 24 hours.
But then not all that looks new, is new. On his Facebook page, British artist Alasdair Duncan, who I met when he
was installing his exhibition at Stephanie Theodore in Bushwick,
posted examples of abstract animation that offer some historical perspective. Enjoy!
And thank you, Alasdaire.
Len Lye, “Trade Tattoo,” 1932, made in association with the
British General :
Post Office:
Len Lye, “Color Flight,” 1937, also made in association with
the British General Post Office.
John Whitney, “Catalog,”1961
John Whitney, “Matrix III,” 1972
