Video Art Theory: A Comparative Approach demonstrates how video art functions on the basis of a comparative media approach, providing a crucial understanding of video as a medium in contemporary art and of the visual mediations we encounter in daily life. Having a highly elusive character from the outset, video art has also evolved strongly as a form of art in the five decades of its existence. This transformation notably gave rise to exciting changes in its relationships to other media. These concerns serve as the starting point for this study. Throughout the four chapters of the book, the author demonstrates why it is impossible to capture video art in a single, all-inclusive definition. Rather than searching for medium-specificity or a general theory, this study proves that it is more useful to develop a theoretical interdisciplinary framework for research into video art. Video artworks are compared with television and performance art (with regard to immediacy); installation art (dealing with space); photography and painting (related to representation); and cinema (with importance of narrative). This methodology not only yields new perspectives, but crucially provides students with a much-needed context for understanding the evolution and paramount importance of video as a medium.
Video Art Theory: A Comparative Approach demonstrates how video art functions on the basis of a comparative media approach, providing a crucial understanding of video as a medium in contemporary art and of the visual mediations we encounter in daily life.
* A critical investigation of the visual media and selected video artworks which contributes to the understanding of video as a medium in contemporary art
* The only study specifically devoted to theorizing the medium of video from the perspective of prominent characteristics which result from how video works deal with time, space, representation, and narrative
* The text has emerged out of the author's own lectures and seminars on video art
* Offers a comparative approach which students find especially useful, offering new perspectives
Helen Westgeest
Art & Applied Arts Art History & Criticism Art History & Theory Cultural Studies Digital Culture & the Information Age Digitale Kultur im Informationszeitalter Kulturwissenschaften Kunst u. Angewandte Kunst Kunstgeschichte Kunstgeschichte u. -kritik Kunstgeschichte u. -theorie Videokunst
"Westgeest combines synthesis of existing views with original insights to provide an invaluable guide to this unruly art medium. Her comparative approach illuminates video within the broader context of contemporary art and theory. Video Art Theory is comprehensive, accessible and incisive."
Lucy Soutter, the Royal College of Art, London
"In this eloquent and thought-provoking survey Helen Westgeest offers both detailed analysis of significant video works and insightful comparisons with other media. Original and intellectually stimulating, Video Art Theory will become an indispensable companion for everyone interested in video art and visual culture."
Alexander Streitberger, Université de Louvain, Belgium
"A highly significant contribution to the much-needed localization of video art within the broader field of contemporary art practices, both aesthetically and culturally. In combining thoughtful analyses of exemplary works with a thorough theoretical embedding, Westgeest's book is a must-read for anybody interested in video art's relation to the post-medium condition."
Katja Kwastek, VU University Amersterdam
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