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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (May 19, 2011)
visual arts BY DANTE ZUÑIGA-WEST The Very Little Theatre presents 3+,,'-)11))2*).)/0 &!% !" # $!" ! Tickets: $15 ($10 for Thursday) Call the VLT Box Office: 541-344-7751 The video art realm of Peter Sarkisian Open 2:00-5:30 Wed.–Sat. 2350 Hilyard St. #!!!$!" I May 27-29*, June 2-5*, 9-11 *Sunday Matinees Using Your Illusions n all transparency, I don’t have enough pages to write about video artist Peter Sarkisian. Son of painter and former UO professor Paul Sarkisian, Peter’s confrontational video work is an attempt to combat television itself. “TV is information, you turn it on and it feeds you information. It’s not an experience,” says Sarkisian as he sits next to me at the dinner table of Jill Hartz, executive director of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, where Sarkisian’s video works will be showcased Saturday, May 21. “My work isn’t about information, it is about the experiential.” Now, that last bit can sound a tad too art-school for some people, and in truth, Sarkisian is an alum of Cal Arts (arguably the West Coast’s most prestigious avant- garde art school) and was also the director of AFI (American Film Institute) — these are two academies that drip with prestige and, at times, elitism. But there is something ferociously pedestrian about what Sarkisian is doing and what he means when he talks about the lack of experiential quality in television. He is attacking the very common so-called reality of the everyday TV screen. And he can break down his assault, frame by frame — though he isn’t a big fan of frames. “With information, we learn, but we don’t really grow. Experience is what causes us to grow,” Sarkisian explains “I’m trying to run video on a collision course with the viewer, and I do this by creating a perceptual trap, a gap between what they A dramatic tale of ambition and dreams . What if the real inventor of television in 1927 had been Ruby, a poor but bright young woman? Fast forward to a TV studio in the grip of McCarthy-era censorship as Ruby’s daughter Lulu struggles to tell her mother’s story — whatever it takes. By Rinne Groff | Directed by Chris McVay (the viewer) think they see, and what they are seeing. And the fi rst thing I do is take away the contour of frame.” Imagine a cube about the size of a small offi ce desk sitting in a gallery. Then imagine this object engulfed and transformed by a video projection that looks as if the cube contains a mother and her child, whose playful interactions are then sped up and stopped at intervals that eventually make the two bodies appear indistinguishable. Sound trippy? Think about experiencing a pale of water that truly looks like it is boiling over (as a result of Sarkisian’s video projection) when, in “reality,” it’s just a pale placed in front of you. Or a lone car door, transformed through videography to have a driver and an ongoing scene reminiscent of the Grand Theft Auto videogame series happening inside a car cabin that doesn’t physically exist. These are just a few of the pieces that will be on display at the Schnitzer. “I’m using illusion to spark questions. I don’t like giving answers, I like giving questions” Sarkisian says. His video work could be considered incredibly entertaining, but it is much more than that. It is provocative, thoughtful and impressive. My only regret this week is not having more space to write about it. Your regret would be missing this show. I assure you, it beats anything you’re going to watch on TV this weekend. ew -/0.+.**,/04)2*).)(/- More info at TheVLT.com Visit us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheVLT Peter Sarkisian VIDEO WORKS, 1996–2008 May 21 – July 10 Join the artist at the free opening reception! >ja\Yq$EYq*(.lg0h&e& ARTIST TALK: KYlmj\Yq$EYq*)$*h&e& Peter Sarkisian’s video work show opens 6 pm Saturday, May 21, at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum. The opening and reception are free. w a Trunk Sho n o Z at the old Zona Building 1416 Willamette St through May, open Wednesday - Saturday 11:00 - 6:30 Sof t and comfortable, your favorite everyday clothes Lots of NEW Skirts. Blouses and Jackets sewn in beautiful TENCEL fabrics Everything is marked down at least 25% closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday 1416 Willamette St www.zonaclothes.com WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM Peter Sarkisian (American, b. 1965), Foreground Reversal, 2007, vacuum-formed thermal plastic, video projection, 26 x 15 x 5 inches, courtesy of the artist Organized by the University of Wyoming Art Museum and curated by Susan Moldenhauer, director and chief curator. Funded in part by an anonymous sponsor, Roy and Caryl Cline, FMC Corporation, Murdock Law Firm, P.C., Wyoming Public Radio, and the National Advisory Board of the University of Wyoming Art Museum. This exhibition is made possible at the JSMA with funding from the Coeta and Donald Barker Foundation Changing Exhibitions Endowment Fund; an Oregon Arts Commission Operating Grant, the William C. Mitchell Estate; and JSMA members. Media Partner: Eugene Magazine jsma.uoregon.edu 541.346.3027 EO/AA/ADA institution committed to cultural diversity EUGENE WEEKLY MAY 19, 2011 23
