ArtTalks: The evolution of the music video with Kota Ezawa. "When you’re standing outside on the grass and you hear frogs squawking and you look up at the stars, I think this is a music video." An inspiring and romantic idea but I can’t say I agree. If that's the case then what is not a music video? Is God the ultimate VJ?
But seriously, what makes a music video a music video? I know that the real topic here is the evolution of the music video and not the definition of a music video but how can I even begin to understand the evolution if I no longer understand the definition. Before this lecture I thought I knew what a music video was. Hell I grew up in the 90’s, which according to Ezawa was about the time the authentic music video died. Maybe that’s why I’m so confused. Ezawa gave several examples of what he calls music videos. First Ezawa showed "Rhythmus 21" by Hans Richter 1921. Richter’s video was composed of black and white rectangles that mechanically danced all around, in and out of the screen mesmerizing the viewer. The title implies sound, rhythm and music. But the video did not make a single audible sound. The obvious musical quality of "Rhythmus 21" is impossible to deny, but is it really a music video? Next we see a clip from the animated film, “Fantasia”, by Walt Disney. “Fantasia”, originally came out in 1940 and was then repeatedly re released. A visualization of classical music, although initially a box office flop, was soon regarded as a classic (like most Disney films). “Fantasia”, far out and innovative is not one music video but more like an anthology of music videos. Ezawa then moved on showing in it’s entirety a video from 1966 by Bruce Conner, “Breakaway”, running a bit over five minutes starring Toni Basil with music by Ed Cobb. The black and white video shows Toni Basil dancing her ass off and her clothes off to the music of Ed cobb until half way through when the song is over, without skipping a beat, the entire music video, is played in reverse all the way back to the beginning. A short, sweet, sexy and jamming music video considered to be Conner’s best work. Next is Nam June Paik with one of his video sculptures, “Global Groove” 1973. The importance of this video is the addition of the Paik/Abe synthesizer created in 1970 by Paik and engineer Shuya Abe. The Paik/Abe synthesizer, considered to be a major advance in the arts, allows video to be manipulated as easily as paint, or at least that was the goal. When viewed here in, “Global Groove” the video synthesizer creates intoxicating and even nauseating effects combined with a swinging mixture of music sending the viewer into alternate states of reality. The technology used here pushed video art into a direction it had never gone before. Moving on to 1987 with a music video by Prince, “Sign ‘o’ the times”. A video made up of flashing and scrolling lyrics of the song, like karaoke on drugs accompanied by electric colors changing and pulsating to the beat. “it’s silly no? when a rocket ship explodes and everybody still wants 2 fly”. Ezawa suggests the significance of this video is that soon after, “Sign ‘o’ the times”, music videos became less and less about experimentation, which seems to be Ezawa’s criteria for what he considers a music video, and more about marketing the artists. We are now shown a clip from Rineke Dijkstra’s, “ The Buzzclub,Liverpool/Mysteryworld, Zaandam” 1996-97. A double projection, shot in front of a white wall in the back of two different night clubs, alternating teenage clubbers dance in each screen. The subjects dance to the same techno song and each one, finding they’re own rhythm, seem to represent an instrument in the song. I wish I could see this video in full. I’ve had no luck finding even a clip of it at this time. We end with a video by Bjork, “All is full of love”, created by Chris Cunningham in 1999. By this time the only limitation is the artists imagination. An eerie and expensive video, “all is full of love”, is a good example of the possiblilities of today. With new software and technology anything can come true. All in all the lecture was informative and entertaining. Although I don’t agree with Ezawas romantic idea of what a music video can be, I now have a broader understanding of what a music video is and has been.
But seriously, what makes a music video a music video? I know that the real topic here is the evolution of the music video and not the definition of a music video but how can I even begin to understand the evolution if I no longer understand the definition. Before this lecture I thought I knew what a music video was. Hell I grew up in the 90’s, which according to Ezawa was about the time the authentic music video died. Maybe that’s why I’m so confused. Ezawa gave several examples of what he calls music videos. First Ezawa showed "Rhythmus 21" by Hans Richter 1921. Richter’s video was composed of black and white rectangles that mechanically danced all around, in and out of the screen mesmerizing the viewer. The title implies sound, rhythm and music. But the video did not make a single audible sound. The obvious musical quality of "Rhythmus 21" is impossible to deny, but is it really a music video? Next we see a clip from the animated film, “Fantasia”, by Walt Disney. “Fantasia”, originally came out in 1940 and was then repeatedly re released. A visualization of classical music, although initially a box office flop, was soon regarded as a classic (like most Disney films). “Fantasia”, far out and innovative is not one music video but more like an anthology of music videos. Ezawa then moved on showing in it’s entirety a video from 1966 by Bruce Conner, “Breakaway”, running a bit over five minutes starring Toni Basil with music by Ed Cobb. The black and white video shows Toni Basil dancing her ass off and her clothes off to the music of Ed cobb until half way through when the song is over, without skipping a beat, the entire music video, is played in reverse all the way back to the beginning. A short, sweet, sexy and jamming music video considered to be Conner’s best work. Next is Nam June Paik with one of his video sculptures, “Global Groove” 1973. The importance of this video is the addition of the Paik/Abe synthesizer created in 1970 by Paik and engineer Shuya Abe. The Paik/Abe synthesizer, considered to be a major advance in the arts, allows video to be manipulated as easily as paint, or at least that was the goal. When viewed here in, “Global Groove” the video synthesizer creates intoxicating and even nauseating effects combined with a swinging mixture of music sending the viewer into alternate states of reality. The technology used here pushed video art into a direction it had never gone before. Moving on to 1987 with a music video by Prince, “Sign ‘o’ the times”. A video made up of flashing and scrolling lyrics of the song, like karaoke on drugs accompanied by electric colors changing and pulsating to the beat. “it’s silly no? when a rocket ship explodes and everybody still wants 2 fly”. Ezawa suggests the significance of this video is that soon after, “Sign ‘o’ the times”, music videos became less and less about experimentation, which seems to be Ezawa’s criteria for what he considers a music video, and more about marketing the artists. We are now shown a clip from Rineke Dijkstra’s, “ The Buzzclub,Liverpool/Mysteryworld, Zaandam” 1996-97. A double projection, shot in front of a white wall in the back of two different night clubs, alternating teenage clubbers dance in each screen. The subjects dance to the same techno song and each one, finding they’re own rhythm, seem to represent an instrument in the song. I wish I could see this video in full. I’ve had no luck finding even a clip of it at this time. We end with a video by Bjork, “All is full of love”, created by Chris Cunningham in 1999. By this time the only limitation is the artists imagination. An eerie and expensive video, “all is full of love”, is a good example of the possiblilities of today. With new software and technology anything can come true. All in all the lecture was informative and entertaining. Although I don’t agree with Ezawas romantic idea of what a music video can be, I now have a broader understanding of what a music video is and has been.
posted by Michael Stoltz at 7:00 AM
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