In search of the magic space between art
Cornelia Gockel
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Christian Marclay - The Clock (2010) video still
At the last Biennale in Venice people were attracted by Christian Marcleys film installation „Clock”. The American artist collected thousands of clips from the entire history of cinema, from silent film to the present, each featuring an exact time on a clock, on a watch, or in dialogue. He put them together to a 24-hour film and projected the montage in real time.
The use of found footage is a well-known strategy in video art, but to connect them with the reality of the spectator was fairly new. The result was overwhelming. People were spending a long time in front of the film installation to see what happens next. With his work “Clock” Christian Marclay opened a gap between art, cinema and reality. He gives people the impression that they are part of the history. Trapping spectators in this magic space is the dream of writers, artists and filmmakers. It is connected with the promise of an extraordinary experience. In the lecture for the Connecting Principles Event 2012 “Set and Settings”, the art critic Cornelia Gockel explores this magic space in the works by Cindy Sherman, Hiroshi Sugimoto, David Claerbout, Julian Rosefeldt, Pierre Huyghe and Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller.
