Science and reason- Video art by Pipilotti Rist

Still from 'Ever Is All Over (1997)'

1. Define the 17th century 'Scientific Revolution', and say how it changed European thought and world view.

The Scientific Revolution of the 17th century was where science became a huge part of the way an indiviual percieved the world. The world for the individual was primarly percieved as the church wanted it to be, and there was no room for other opinion. With the rise of the Scientific Revolution finally other views and beliefs were able to be publically shared. This revolutionised the religious system, in the churches view this was obviously for the worse, people could now openly question what the church had lead them to believe and with this the social status of the church fell greatly.

2. Give examples of how we can we still see evidence of the 'Scientific Revolution' in the world today.

We can still see evidence of the Scientific Revolution today in the fact that religion, though a very dominant part of society around the world, is not as promininent as it once was. Because of the Scientific Revolution the religious society was changed for better in some cases, and for always. By teaching science in public schools as a way of explaining how we came to be has become the most common rite of teaching children. Children are not publicly taught to believe in God as they were during the renaissance, obviously this is not the same for private religious schools but for the government funded and led schools it is the case.

Research Pipilotti Rist's video installations to answer the following;

3. From your research, do you think that the contemporary art world values art work
that uses new media/technology over traditional media?

The contemporary art world, in my opinion, does not value video media art works as much as traditional works as video media is seen as far less tangible then something we can physically hold, and something that is of great meaning to art collecters, have and hold and collect. As soon as we move into the video media side of art, it becomes freely accessable. Anyone can go on to a site such as You Tube and get as much as they like out of it, free of charge. This is, of course, art for the ever changing world. As technology gets more and more advanced we all feel far less need to actually own paintings and sculptures, even DVD movies and CD albums. Because it's all right infront of us on a little screen.

4. How has Pipilotti Rist used new media/technology to enhance the audience's experience of her work.

In one of Rist's works that I watched, she used a fairly wellknown song and changed the tone of it to make it sound ridiculous. Featured in the video itself, we see a perhaps middle aged lady (though because it is blurly and out of focus it is hard to tell) quite obviously topless dancing around. Rist has used self ridicule through video media to attract a crowd and connect with them on a higher level. If a photograph is one picture and a 2 minute video 1000 pictures, then there is bound to be far more work to appreciate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJgiSyCr6BY
I'm Not A Girl Who Misses Much (1986) Pipilotti Rist

5. Comment on how the installation, sound and scale of 'Ever is Over All' (1997) could impact on the audience's experience of the work.

By playing something as expressive as this on such a large scene is a great indication as to how the audience would view the work. The sound and scale give note as to how exactly, we as viewers, are supposed to view the work. We can almost take the sense of boldness in a work as instuction to how the work was orginally, in the artists mind, meant to be seen. The factors of the work seen that Rist has used, I think were intended to heighten the audiences view of the work.

6. Comment on the notion of 'reason' within the content of the video. Is the woman's behaviour reasonable or unreasonable?

The 'reason' behind said womans actions are entirely how each individual wishes to interpret. If we are to look at her actions as being for the sake of 'art' then as 'artists' ourselves we are able to appreciate the beauty in the act of her smashing up car windows. However from a different perspective if one were to see this lady in real time walking down the street in real time, if would be grounds for arrest. I think that the point of the work is that because it is film we are torn between knowing if this is actually real/not real, acceptable/unacceptable.

7. Comment on your 'reading' (understanding) of the work by discussion the aesthetic (look), experience and the ideologies (ideas, theories) of the work.

The work for me, has proved to me that contemporary art is not something we are able to pin down and class as anything. It is one of the most contervesial and speculated over things in the world within this day and age. The work Rist has created is indeed beautiful and moving but as all art, when is enough enough? Or is that the point of contemprary art? It seems so.

The History Guide - Scientific Revolution, Main Page (2002) Steven Kreis http://www.historyguide.org/earlymod/lecture10c.html

Ferris, T. (2010) The Science of Liberty: Democracy, Reason, and the Laws of Nature Harper, UK.

Rist, P. (2006) Pipilotti Rist Dumont.