I have been thinking recently about my contribution to the history of British video art then realised that I made (what was almost certainly) the first official history back in 1991. When I was distribution manager at LVA I produced a compilation with accompanying booklet, short essay and notes on the work. A History of British Video Art. Part One. (Great title, don’t you think? Especially as there was no Part Two.) This was a first on two counts: it was the first history and a first attempt at marketing. Any attempt to contextualise work was always doing to be hotly disputed, never mind the pioneering first attempt. For this reason, I surveyed all the major players and based the final selection on that. It was selection by consensus, in other words. The two things I like about this package are the two things that continue to be contentious. The key words here – “accessible” and “narrative”. The package was very successful both financially and in terms of bringing the work to a wider audience. It also shows the early works as part of an unfolding narrative. Good art is not merely self referential, it is part of an ongoing dialogue. Being rather self-effacing at the time, I didn’t put my name to it. But looking back I am still rather proud of it.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 12:12:33 +0000
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