Chance, History, Art

Synopsis

The film, originally conceived as a study of the effects of surrealism on art, consists of interviews with five artists, intercut with film of Jackson Pollock painting and a young child drawing, and quotations from French writers Valery, Artaud and Eluard. The recurring themes of the discussion are; chance - the role of accident in painting and performance: history - connections with surrealism and politics: and the present day context in which art merges with everyday life and is mediated by institutions. The interviews, originally shot on video, are refilmed as they appear on the television screen, and are combined with images on another screen or intercut with filmed material, creating a shifting or multiple viewpoint which, like the art, undermines the conventions of traditional representation.

John McKeon and Anne Bean, performance artists, are seen in ‘McKracken Going South’, and talk about change and modification in performance. Stuart Brisley, performance artist, is seen in ‘180 Hours at the Acme Gallery’ and talks about the role of institutions in defining art. Rita Donagh. painter, talks about the painting ‘Evening Papers after 1972-74’. provided by a car bomb incident in Dublin. Jamie Reid, graphic designer, responsible for the Sex Pistols’ publicity, talks about the ‘rip-off’ element and the nature of punk music, art and fashion. Jimmy Boyle, sculptor and writer, filmed while still serving a life sentence in Barlinnie Prison, talks about the experience of prison and the development of his creativity. The progression from the more esoteric performances to the efforts of the young child at the end suggests that the new styles could draw art away from the official institutions, reinforcing the concluding statement of the film that "poetry should be made by all, not by one."

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2006

Year of production

1980

Subjects

Art

Keywords

performance art; surrealism; creativity

Credits

Director

James Scott

Contributor

Anne Bean; Jamie Reid; Jimmy Boyle; John McKeon; Rita Donagh; Stuart Brisley

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£50.00

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

50 minutes

Year

2007

Production Company

Name

Arts Council

Distributor

Name

Arts on Film Archive, University of Westminster

Notes

Arts on Film Archive offers on-line access to a large range of films on art produced in the United Kingdom since the 1950s, and is a unique record of British and international post-war art, as well as of documentary film-making in the UK. In its first phase, the archive offers a complete database and an on-line video streaming of all 450 films made by the film department of Arts Council England between 1953 and 1998 and several films produced till 2003 by the dance Department of ACE. The collection is only available streamed to ac.uk domain addresses.