The second CASE STUDY concerned the mixed-media installation In Situ (1986) from Gary Hill. It was restored in consultation with the artist and then exhibited at the Hill individual exhibition Strange Trajectories. The last time the installation was shown was in 1990.
Description of the work
A very low rectangular platform with grey fitted carpet marks the area of the installation. A display housing with an undersized display is positioned on a form of TV furniture. The video which plays back there consists of a combination of television recordings on the Iran-Contra affair (1986) and video material especially recorded for that which is inspired by the novel The Dark Gaze from Maurice Blanchot.
Opposite the display there is a television armchair with an undersized cushion. Between the display and armchair a housing is positioned on the floor with two fans. Four more fans are located in pillar-like elements in the four corners and directed to the middle. A paper distributor especially made for the installation hangs from the middle of the ceiling which ejects paper sheets in a defined sequence. The A4 size sheets are printed on both sides with frames from the video and numbered. They fall down exactly when the same pictures are visible on the screen. As they fall down the sheets are whirled up by fans so that the observer on the armchair is subjected to a kind of "picture storm". The display, the paper distributor, the fans and the loudspeakers are controlled by control signals on one of the audio tracks of the video. The cycle runs for about 17 minutes. After that the paper distributor has to be manually re-filled again with a set of photocopied sheets.
Presentation history
The first presentation of the work In Situ was made in 1986 at the National Video Festival of the American Film Institute (AFI). The various elements of the installation were placed there directly on the existing floor and positioned in a diagonal arrangement.
In all the following presentations, however, it was installed on a low platform with fitted carpets which clearly separated the installation area from the surrounding space.
Questions
- How important is the location of the installation? Bearing this in mind, how important is the meaning of the title In Situ?
- Which presentation should be taken as reference for re-installation?
- Which aspects of the installation are absolutely essential for its authenticity?
- What are the criteria for the selection of components of the installation (carpets, armchair, display, etc.)?
- How important is the CRT display? Can it be replaced by a flat screen?
- Which score should be used for the control of the various elements of the installation?
Restoration at imai
Data medium: the original U-matic tape was backed up and additionally transferred to DVD for the presentation at imai.
Armchair: according to Gary Hill an armchair should be used for the presentation in the typical style of the sixties. For the re-staging in Düsseldorf, an armchair of this type was modified specially according to the specifications of the artist, was re-upholstered in grey, and the cushion was made smaller.
Re-staging: The imai foundation re-staged the installation In Situ and showed it in the Gary Hill individual exhibition Strange Trajectories (16 September - 28 October, 2007). The reference for the staging in Düsseldorf was not the first presentation of the work in Los Angeles, but the form of the presentation which had established itself in subsequent exhibitions.
Preliminary results
Location and staging: The results of the analysis of the installation history and an interview with the artist show that it is necessary in the exhibition area to create a separated location (Situ) by means of the platform and the fitted carpet. In principle, this "island" can be set up anywhere. The first presentation of In Situ in 1986 required adaptation to the special conditions of the respective location. The future staging of the installation should be based on the subsequent presentations.
Display: According to Hill, the small display in the over dimensioned housing should awaken the association with one eye. This is enhanced by a close-up image of the eye of the artist at the start of the video. The CRT display with its characteristic curved surface should not in future be replaced by a flat screen because the association to the eye would then be lost. Hill does not necessarily exclude an alternative to the CRT display provided the alternative also has a curved surface. If technical alternatives are available, then in future they can be assessed from an art historical point of view.
Score: The artist defines In Situ as a "system performance" which is directed by an electronic control system. The sequence and rhythm with which the various devices of the installation function follow a score which the artist laid down on an audio track of the video. It is of crucial importance to the work and should be recorded in writing.
funded by:
CASE STUDY 1
CASE STUDY 3
