The Literariness of Media Art
Authors: Benthien, Lau, Marxsen, Universität Hamburg
Abstract
The Literariness of Media Art
The beginning of the 20th century saw literary scholars from Russia positing a new definition for the nature of literature. Within the framework of Russian Formalism, the term ‘literariness’ was coined. The driving force behind this theoretical inquiry was the desire to identify literature—and art in general—as a way of revitalizing human perception, which had been numbed by the automatization of everyday life. The transformative power of ‘literariness’ is made manifest in many media artworks by renowned artists such as Chantal Akerman, Mona Hatoum, Gary Hill, Jenny Holzer, William Kentridge, Nalini Malani, Bruce Nauman, Martha Rosler, and Lawrence Weiner. The authors use literariness as a tool to analyze the aesthetics of spoken or written language within experimental film, video performance, moving image installations, and other media-based art forms. This volume uses as its foundation the Russian Formalist school of literary theory, with the goal of extending these theories to include contemporary concepts in film and media studies, such as Neoformalism, intermediality, remediation, and postdrama.
Claudia Benthien is Professor for German Literature and Cultural Theory at the University of Hamburg, Germany.
Jordis Lau is a PhD candidate at the University of Hamburg, Germany.
Maraike M. Marxsen is a PhD candidate at the University of Hamburg, Germany.
Full Text
The full text is freely available in the OAPEN Library, please follow this link:
Featured Works
videos, excerpts and other demo materials
This selection of material has been kindly provided by the artists or their representatives. In a few cases links are embedded from online platforms such as Vimeo. Its sole purpose is to enhance the reader’s experience of the artworks discussed in the book The Literariness of Media Art. Any commercial distribution, download or public presentation of the material is prohibited.
Ahwesh | Attia | Babari/Paillard | Barrada | Bliss | Byrne | Cho | Cytter | Gerz | Granular≈Synthesis | Hancox | Hattenberger | Hill | Hodel | Hodgson | Kalin | Keinstar | Konyves | Korpys/Löffler | Kriwet | Mader | Melhus | Malani | Müller | Németh | Rinne | Rosenbach | von Rudy | Scott | Seaman | Shaw | Silver | Snow | Sullivan | Tambellini | Weibel | YHCHI |
Peggy Ahwesh
Peggy Ahwesh
Peggy Ahwesh. 73 Suspect Words. 2000. 4 min. Video, b&w, sound. Courtesy Peggy Ahwesh.
Please visit the artist's vimeo channel https://vimeo.com/9183642 for further information and videos.
Peggy Ahwesh. Heaven’s Gate. 2000–2001. 3:53 min. Video, b&w, sound. Courtesy Peggy Ahwesh.
Please visit the artist's vimeo channel https://vimeo.com/131329040 for further information and videos.
Kader Attia
Kader Attia
Kader Attia. Narrative Vibrations. 2017. Mixed media installation, color, sound. Installation view,
57th Venice Biennale, Arsenale. Courtesy Kader Attia.
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Louisa Babari and Célio Paillard
Louisa Babari and Célio Paillard
Louisa Babari and Célio Paillard. Corps à corps. 2015. 8:18 min. Video (animation), b&w, sound. Courtesy Louisa Babari and Célio Paillard.
Yto Barrada
Yto Barrada
Yto Barrada. Hand-Me Downs. 2011. 15 min. Film (8 mm and 16 mm transferred to digital), b&w and color, sound. Courtesy Yto Barrada.
Jenna Bliss
Jenna Bliss
Jenna Bliss. Dear Dad (The Analyst). 2013. 2:57 min. Video (digital), color, sound. Courtesy Jenna Bliss.
Gerard Byrne
Gerard Byrne
Gerard Byrne. A Man and a Woman Make Love. 2012. Multi-screen installation. Courtesy Gerard Byrne.
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Seoungho Cho
Seoungho Cho
Seoungho Cho. Orange Factory. 2002. 11:38 min. Video, color, sound. © Seoungho Cho.
Please visit http://www.li-ma.nl/site/catalogue/art/seoungho-cho/orange-factory/7218 for further information and excerpts.
Keren Cytter
Keren Cytter
Keren Cytter. Der Spiegel. 2007. 4:55 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Keren Cytter.
Keren Cytter. Alla ricerca dei fratelli (In Search of Brothers). 2008. 19:56 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Keren Cytter.
Keren Cytter. Una forza che viene del passato (A Force from the Past). 2008. 20:14 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Keren Cytter.
Keren Cytter. Untitled. 2009. 16:53 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Keren Cytter.
Jochen Gerz
Jochen Gerz
Jochen Gerz. Rufen bis zur Erschöpfung. 1972. 19:30 min. Video (Akai, recorded from monitor on Sony ½ inch open reel; transferred to U-matic and later to digital Betacam), b&w, sound. © Jochen Gerz; VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2018.
Granular≈Synthesis
Granular≈Synthesis
Granular≈Synthesis. Sweet Heart. 1996. 7:30 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Granular≈Synthesis (Kurt Hentschläger & Ulf Langheinrich).
Rick Hancox
Rick Hancox
Rick Hancox. Waterworx (A Clear Day and No Memories). 1982. 6:00 min. Film (16 mm), color, sound. Courtesy Rick Hancox.
Freya Hattenberger
Freya Hattenberger
Freya Hattenberger. Sirene, 2006. 3:30 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Freya Hattenberger.
Freya Hattenberger. Pretty Girl. 2005. 2:40 min. Two-channel video installation (wall projection, TV monitor), color, sound. Courtesy Freya Hattenberger.
Gary Hill
Gary Hill
Gary Hill. Around & About. 1980. 4:45 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Gary Hill.
Please visit the artist's vimeo channel https://vimeo.com/5498923 for further information and videos.
Gary Hill. Black/White/Text. 1980. 7:23 min. Video (U-matic), b&w, sound. Courtesy Gary Hill.
Please visit the artist's vimeo channel https://vimeo.com/111239049 for further information and videos.
Gary Hill. Incidence of Catastrophe. 1987–1988. 43:51 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Gary Hill.
Please visit the artist's vimeo channel https://vimeo.com/5580721 for further information and videos.
Gary Hill. Mediations. 1986. 4:17 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Gary Hill.
Please visit the artist's vimeo channel https://vimeo.com/5596880 for further information and videos.
Ursula Hodel
Ursula Hodel
Ursula Hodel. Speedo. 1997. 7:34 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Ursula Hodel.
Please visit the artist's website http://www.ursulahodel.ch/video/29 for further information and videos.
Jonathan Hodgson
Jonathan Hodgson
Jonathan Hodgson. The Man with the Beautiful Eyes. 1999. 5:00 min. Film (35 mm), color, sound. Courtesy Jonathan Hodgson.
Jonathan Hodgson. Feeling My Way. 1997. 5:33 min. Film (35 mm), color, sound. Courtesy Jonathan Hodgson.
Tom Kalin
Tom Kalin
Tom Kalin. Every Wandering Cloud. 2005. 7:00 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Tom Kalin.
Tom Kalin. The Robots of Sodom. 2002. 2:34 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Tom Kalin.
Tom Kalin. Every Evening Freedom. 2002. 2:31 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Tom Kalin.
Christian Keinstar
Christian Keinstar
Christian Keinstar. Ohne Titel. 2005. 17 min. Video performance (SD-Video), color, sound. Courtesy Christian Keinstar.
Tom Konyves
Tom Konyves
Tom Konyves. Sign Language. 1985. 4:15 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Tom Konyves.
Korpys/Löffler
Korpys/Löffler
Korpys/Löffler. The Nuclear Football. 2004. 30:41 min. Video (digital), color, sound. Courtesy Korpys/Löffler.
Ferdinand Kriwet
Ferdinand Kriwet
Ferdinand Kriwet's film Teletext exists in several versions. The following demo version has been kindly provided by his gallery, BQ (Berlin), and was edited by Kriwet in 2001. The analysis of Teletext in the book The Literariness of Media Art is based on the excerpt that is part of the DVD study edition published by ZKM on occasion of the exhibition Typemotion. Type as Image in Motion.
Holger Mader
Holger Mader
Holger Mader. Ich suche nichts, ich bin hier. 1993. 3:52 min. Video (Betacam SP), color, sound. Courtesy Holger Mader.
Nalini Malani
Nalini Malani
Nalini Malani. In Search of Vanished Blood. 2012. 11 min. Six-channel video/shadow play with five rotating reverse painted Mylar cylinders, sound. Courtesy Nalini Malani.
Bjørn Melhus
Bjørn Melhus
Bjørn Melhus. Das Zauberglas. 1991. 6 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Bjørn Melhus.
Matthias Müller
Matthias Müller
Matthias Müller. nebel. 2000. 12:00 min. Film (various formats, transferred to 35mm), b&w and color, sound. Courtesy Matthias Müller.
Hajnal Németh
Hajnal Németh
Hajnal Németh. CRASH – Passive Interview. 2011. Mixed media installation (video, audio, totaled BMW, 12 libretti on music stands). Courtesy Hajnal Németh.
Excerpt 1
Excerpt 2
Cia Rinne
Cia Rinne
Cia Rinne. archives zaroum. 2001. Net art. Visual design in collaboration with Christian Yde Frostholm.
Please visit http://www.afsnitp.dk/galleri/archiveszaroum/ to engage with the interactive artwork.
Ulrike Rosenbach
Ulrike Rosenbach
Ulrike Rosenbach. Eine Scheibe berühren. 1971. 5 min. Video (Betacam SP), b&w, sound. Courtesy Ulrike Rosenbach.
Magdalena von Rudy
Magdalena von Rudy
Magdalena von Rudy. Regnava nel silenzio. 2008, 7:00 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Magdalena von Rudy.
Jill Scott
Jill Scott
Jill Scott. A Beat in Step. 1978. 3:20 min. Video (Betacam SP), b&w, sound. Courtesy Jill Scott.
Bill Seaman
Bill Seaman
Bill Seaman. The Water Catalogue. 1984. 27:30 min. Video, color, sound. Courtesy Bill Seaman.
Jeffrey Shaw
Jeffrey Shaw
Jeffrey Shaw. The Legible City. 1989–1991. Interactive installation. Installation documentation. Courtesy Jeffrey Shaw.
Shelly Silver
Shelly Silver
Shelly Silver. 5 lessons and 9 questions about Chinatown. 2010. 10 min. Excerpt opening. Video (HD), color, sound. Courtesy Shelly Silver.
Shelly Silver. 5 lessons and 9 questions about Chinatown. 2010. 10 min. Excerpt lesson 2. Video (HD), color, sound. Courtesy Shelly Silver.
Michael Snow
Michael Snow
Michael Snow. So is This. 1982. 45 min. Film (16 mm), b&w, no sound. Courtesy Michael Snow.
Catherine Sullivan
Catherine Sullivan
Catherine Sullivan. Ice Floes of Franz Joseph Land. 2003. Five screen film installation (16mm transferred to digital), b&w, sound. Courtesy Catherine Sullivan.
Please visit the artist's vimeo channel https://vimeo.com/80819841 for further information and videos.
Aldo Tambellini
Aldo Tambellini
Aldo Tambellini, Black Matters, 2017 • HD-multi-channel installation, b/w, sound, 9 min. • Conceived by Aldo Tambellini with Pia Bolognesi and Giulio Bursi • Edited by Giuseppe Boccassini • Sound by Aldo Tambellini, Askia Touré, Neiel Simpson, Michael Woods and Eric Zinman • Produced by ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe in collaboration with Atelier Impopulaire, Milan • Courtesy Aldo Tambellini Archive; The Aldo Tambellini Art Foundation, Salem, MA & ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Atelier Impopulaire
Peter Weibel
Peter Weibel
Peter Weibel. Das Recht mit Füßen treten. 1974. 1:14 min. Video (U-matic), b&w, no sound. Courtesy Peter Weibel.
Peter Weibel. Mundtext. 1975. 0:59 min. Video (U-matic), b&w, sound. Courtesy Peter Weibel.
Peter Weibel. Augentexte. 1975. 1:20 min. Video (U-matic) b&w, sound. Courtesy Peter Weibel.
Peter Weibel. Selbstbeschreibung. 1974. 12:22 min. Video, b&w, no sound. Courtesy Peter Weibel.
Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries
Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries
Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries. Samsung. 1999–2003. Online Flashanimation. Color, sound. Courtesy YHCHI.
Please visit http://www.yhchang.com/SAMSUNG_V.html to see the Online Flash animation.