Vito Acconci (1940-2017)
Association Area (1971)
1971, 62 min, b&w, sound
This early performance tape is an example of what Acconci has termed his "quasi-ESP exercises," in which he explores mental concentration and intuition as a means of non-visual and non-verbal perception, interaction and communication. Blindfolded and wearing earplugs, Acconci and another man attempt to intuit and imitate each other's movements and bearing, though they can neither hear nor see. The goal, as Acconci has stated, "was to concentrate on each other so totally that we'd begin to blend together." Audible only to the audience, an off-camera voice whispers directions and locations to the performers as they move slowly and haltingly around the performance space: "Mel, Vito is facing you. Turn around and get into his position. Vito, turn completely around. Mel, Vito is facing your right side...."
With: Vito Acconci, Mel Waterman. -- EAI
This title is available for exhibitions, screenings, and institutional use through Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), NY. Please visit the EAI Online Catalogue for further information about this artist and work. The EAI site offers extensive resources for curators, students, artists and educators, including: an in-depth guide to exhibiting, collecting, and preserving media art; A Kinetic History: The EAI Archives Online, a collection of essays, primary documents, and media charting EAI's 40-year history and the early years of the emergent video art scene; and expanded contextual and educational materials.
This early performance tape is an example of what Acconci has termed his "quasi-ESP exercises," in which he explores mental concentration and intuition as a means of non-visual and non-verbal perception, interaction and communication. Blindfolded and wearing earplugs, Acconci and another man attempt to intuit and imitate each other's movements and bearing, though they can neither hear nor see. The goal, as Acconci has stated, "was to concentrate on each other so totally that we'd begin to blend together." Audible only to the audience, an off-camera voice whispers directions and locations to the performers as they move slowly and haltingly around the performance space: "Mel, Vito is facing you. Turn around and get into his position. Vito, turn completely around. Mel, Vito is facing your right side...."
With: Vito Acconci, Mel Waterman. -- EAI
This title is available for exhibitions, screenings, and institutional use through Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), NY. Please visit the EAI Online Catalogue for further information about this artist and work. The EAI site offers extensive resources for curators, students, artists and educators, including: an in-depth guide to exhibiting, collecting, and preserving media art; A Kinetic History: The EAI Archives Online, a collection of essays, primary documents, and media charting EAI's 40-year history and the early years of the emergent video art scene; and expanded contextual and educational materials.