Video art

Video art uses moving pictures and sound.

Artists make it using cameras and screens. It does not always tell a story. It might not even have actors.

Some art uses many TV screens at once. This can make a big display. Artists can also use computers to make art. They can even mix video with dance. It is a way to show new ideas. Video art is a special way to create.

Video art is a way to make art using moving pictures and sound.

It started in the late 1960s. This happened when new tools like video tape recorders became available. Artists could now use video outside of big TV stations.

Video art can look many ways. Some artists make videos for museums. Others stream works online. Some use many TV screens at once. This is called an installation.

One early work used nine screens. It showed live people and old TV clips. It moved images from one screen to the next like a dance.

Many artists helped grow this art. Nam June Paik is a famous pioneer. He used a new tool called a Sony Portapak. He filmed a parade in New York City in 1965.

He played the tapes in a cafe later that day. This helped video art begin.

Video art is not like movies in a theater. It may not have actors or a story. It can even be mixed with dance. Artists use cameras to show how people move and feel. It is a way to explore new ideas with technology.

Video art is a special way of making art using video technology. It uses both moving pictures and sound to share ideas. This art form is different from the movies you see in a theater. It might not have actors or a clear story to follow. Some works are shown in museums or galleries as installations. Others are streamed online or sent on DVDs.

Artists can even use many television sets at once. They might project images onto walls or use monitors to show live scenes. This allows people to see art in many new ways.

There are many ways an artist can make a video work. Some use old technology like analog video tape. Others use digital tools and computer software to create their pieces. In the 1970s, artists experimented with the limits of their equipment. For example, Peter Campus used an electronic mixer to combine video signals. This created a distorted and strange image.

Another artist, Joan Jonas, recorded herself dancing. She then played those recordings back on a television. This created a layered look that felt very complex. Some artists even use video synthesizers to make abstract shapes and colors.

Video art began to grow in the late 1960s. Before this time, making moving pictures was hard for most people. You usually needed expensive 16mm or 8mm film. Everything changed when new tools like video tape recorders became available. This meant artists could work outside of big TV stations.

Nam June Paik is a famous pioneer of this movement. He was a Korean-American artist who studied in Germany. In 1963, he showed electronic television works in a gallery. He is often seen as a leader who helped start this whole field.

Many important events and names helped shape video art. In 1965, Paik used a Sony Portapak to film a parade in New York City. He played the tapes in a cafe that same day.

This moment is often called the birth of video art. In 1969, Ira Schneider and Frank Gillette showed a work called Wipe Cycle. It used nine screens to show live visitors and old TV clips. In the 1970s, a place called The Kitchen became a home for many artists.

Later, in the 1990s, cheaper editing software made it easier for everyone to join in. This allowed a new generation of artists to film by hand.

Today, video art is part of many different kinds of art. It can be mixed with performance art to show how people move.

For instance, Marina Abramovic and Ulay used video to record their performances. In 1980, they made a piece called Rest Energy. It was a performance about trust that lasted 4 minutes and 10 seconds. Video art also connects to the digital world we use every day. It has moved from simple tapes to 3D imagery and the internet. It continues to change as new technology is invented.

Video art is a unique art form that utilizes video technology as both a visual and audio medium. Unlike theatrical cinema, it does not always follow traditional rules of storytelling. A video art piece might lack actors, dialogue, or a clear plot. Instead, it focuses on the possibilities of moving images and sound. Artists display these works in many ways. They might create installations in museums or galleries. They may stream works online or distribute them on DVDs and video tapes. Some performances even use multiple television sets or projections to show live or recorded images.

The creation of video art involves various technical mechanisms. In the early years, artists relied heavily on analog video tape. This was the primary recording technology used until the 1990s. As digital recording equipment arrived, artists began exploring digital technology for new forms of expression. Some artists used video synthesizers to create abstract works. Others used electronic mixers to manipulate signals. For example, Peter Campus created a piece called Double Vision. He combined video signals from two Sony Portapaks through a mixer. This process resulted in a distorted and radically dissonant image.

Artists have developed distinct types of video works throughout the medium's history. One type is the multi-channel installation, which uses several monitors or screens. An early example is Wipe Cycle by Ira Schneider and Frank Gillette. This work used nine television screens to alternate between live images of visitors and commercial footage. Another type is the video intervention, where artists use existing broadcast systems. In 1971, Valie Export's "Facing a Family" was broadcast on Austrian television. It showed a family eating dinner to create a mirroring effect for the audience. In the UK, David Hall performed "TV Interruptions" on Scottish TV without announcement.

The history of video art is tied to the availability of consumer technology. Before consumer video equipment, moving image production required 16mm or 8mm film. This was mostly non-commercial. The introduction of the Sony Portapak changed everything. Nam June Paik is widely considered a pioneer of the field. In the autumn of 1965, Paik used his Portapak to film Pope Paul VI's procession in New York City. He played the footage in a Greenwich Village cafe that same day. This event is often cited as the moment video art was born.

During its heyday in the 1970s, video art saw significant growth in specific locations. In New York City, a place called The Kitchen served as a nexus for young artists. It was founded in 1972 by Steina and Woody Vasulka. On the West Coast, Willoughby Sharp led the "Videoviews" series starting in 1970. This series featured recorded dialogues with many different artists. In Europe, specialized institutions like the ZKM in Karlsruhe began integrating digital technology. These institutions helped establish video art as a serious field of study and exhibition.

As technology evolved, the scale and complexity of video art increased. By the 1980s and 1990s, cheaper editing software allowed more people to participate. This era saw the rise of artists who used Handycams to film more directly. New festivals emerged to celebrate the medium, such as Ars Electronica in Linz. In the 2000s, video art became a major part of international contemporary art exhibitions. Between 2000 and 2015, more than one-third of the works at Art Unlimited were video installations. Artists like Pipilotti Rist and Bill Viola became well-known for their large-scale works.

Video art often connects to other disciplines, such as performance art. This combination is sometimes called media and performance art. Artists use the camera to document or even act as the audience for a performance. For instance, Marina Abramovic and Ulay experimented with video in the 1970s and 1980s. Their 1980 piece "Rest energy" lasted 4 minutes and 10 seconds. It involved a display of complete trust between the two performers. Today, video art continues to expand into new media art. It now includes 3D imagery, interactivity, and internet-based works.