Vito Acconci is a Brooklyn-based instillation artist, performer, and architect. He began as a poet and defined himself as a predominant American video artist in the mid- 1960’s. Many of his work during the time would have been considered controversial, dealing with public and private space. The idea of artist-audience relationship was strong to Acconci, and capturing that performance. “The condition of art is” Acconci states “the viewer is here and the art is there – so the viewer is in a position of desire, there are ‘Do not touch’ signs, the viewer frustrated, those ‘Do not touch’ signs are reminders that art is more expensive than people” In one video piece ‘Centers’ Acconci focuses on keeping a pointing finger directly center on the monitor. He was using the monitor as a mirror, while he is staring the audience directly in their faces. “The result [the TV image] turns the activity around: a pointing away from myself, at an outside viewer" said Acconci.
Acconci’s interested in this self reflexivity, made psychological drama performances. “Claim Excerpts” is a performance based video in which Acconci sat blindfolded in a basement, armed with a metal pipe. He simultaneously invited and forbade visitors to the loft and when approached, Acconci threatened to swing at anyone. This physical manifestation of deep seeded emotions was transposed on the video. Another piece that holds similarities to this concept is “face off” in which Acconci is seen shouting at a recording of his own voice. The recording has an Acconci monologue of sexual desires and intimate secrets. The situation deal with many thoughts of conflicting desires, and the audience is being revealed to his self-exposure.
Acconci used his own body as a source of a performance piece. Physical space was something that Acconci felt dear to. His works in the 1970’s led to the notion of ‘power-fields’ between himself and the audiences. He is notoriously known for his 1971 piece “Seedbed” in which Acconci repeatedly masturbated underneath a walkway on which visitors traveled. Again the idea of personal and public space is a common theme. In a 2008 interview, Vito notes on his 1971 piece “It wasn’t about ‘conveying’;
it wasn’t that there was a theme, a meaning, that you could phrase in some other way – in writing, say, in talking – and then you demonstrated it in some situation, in some activity.”
Acconci did instillation work in the mid-1970’s where he focused on the site (most likely a gallery) and the [temporary] audience that would be featured. “I couldn’t start thinking about a piece until I had a place: once a place was given to me, for a three-week show, for a three-month show, then I could start to think” said Acconci “I could find the specific quirks of this space, I could try to do something here that, ideally, I could do nowhere else, ideally the installation couldn’t be repeated somewhere else.”
In 1988 Acconci founded “Acconci Studios” for ‘theoretical design and building’. Though he was untrained in architecture, he collaborated with other artists and architectures to design physically and socially flexible venues. “Acconci Studios” has produced projects such as moving bridges, public seating, apartment complexes, public transportation devices, and even a upgraded model of the umbrella.
On a personal note, Intricate and organic forms of architecture is appealing to many skateboarders. In a Frieze Magazine interview, a question was posed on the misuse of public art projects that succumb to damage. Vito responded “If the kids left home, lived there and skateboarded, I would like it. If a project became an alternate lifestyle and offered housing for kids, then sure.” This is a fairly light hearted response in that many artists, sculptors, architectures and business owners oppose greatly to the use of stair sets, railings, and other obstacles for skateboarding. This sheds light in the art community that perhaps more socially friendly designs of our cities will make them resourceful and attractive.
http://www.frieze.com/issue/article/still_life_in_mobile_homes/
http://www.myartspace.com/blog/2008/04/art-space-talk-vito-acconci.html
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/acconci_vito.html
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