VIDEO INSTALLATIONS IN BANGKOK THIS YEAR

Matthew Hunt wrote a comment in my blog here:
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2007/08/kosit-juntaratips-ejaculation-on-canvas.html

This is my reply with some further comments:

Thank you for your comment, Mat. I’m very glad you find Kosit’s work fascinating.

I have seen so few Classical films. I haven’t seen The Maltese Falcon yet. As for John Huston, I think I might have seen VICTORY and ANNIE when I was a child. I saw MOULIN ROUGE (1952, B) a few years ago when it was shown at Thammasat University’s library, but I’m not impressed by it. However, I would like to see THE MISFITS (1961), because in late 2005 I saw a short experimental film ATOMIK PARK (2003, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, A+), which is very haunting and uses some voices from THE MISFITS. That short film got me interested in THE MISFITS.

I first saw Araya’s works last year, though she had created art works for more than ten years. The first time I saw her works is when she showed four video works of hers at 100 Tonson Gallery. I love THE INSANE very much. I also saw IN A BLUR OF DESIRE, another video work of Araya, earlier this year.

Reading your comment makes me want to post something about some video installations and Araya. So thank you very much, Mat, for giving me some inspirations.

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--Talking about video arts reminds me that there have been many video installations held in Bangkok during the past few years. I’m very glad for this trend and I hope it will go on like this.

As for 2007, the video installations I saw include:-

(in roughly preferential order)

1.SORRY (Noraset Vaisayakul)

My most favorite part in this installation is a 30-minute video of a guy saying “I’m sorry for …” repeatedly for about 30 minutes. At first I didn’t notice that what the guy said changed from time to time. I assumed he would say the same sentence all through the video. But if the viewer/audience really listens carefully, he/she will notice that the reasons for being sorry are changed, and different reasons result in different tones of voice in saying ,”I’m sorry”. I like that this video seems to challenge the viewers. Attentive viewers/listeners will notice the slight differences, other viewers will overlook them.


2.NEVER CONGREGATE, NEVER DISREGARD (Arin Rungjang)

I like the text used in this video installation very much.


3.CROSS REFERENCE, 35:27:02 N/ 139:39:36 E (Craig Walsh)

I like the concept of this video, which makes the audience from different cities become actors/actresses appearing on the screens at the same time.


4.PERFORMANCE ART IS NO MORE THE ART OF PERFORMANCE THAN A WINE BOTTLE IS A BOTTLE OF WINE (Thomas J. Berghuis)

This video is a part of an exhibition called TRADING CRAFT by Khairuddin Hori. I like that this video plays with fonts of letters.


5.IN A BLUR OF DESIRE (Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook)


6.WHO WISHES TO REPRESENT AN ANGEL, MAKES A BEAST
(Christine Laquet)


7.TRAVELOGUE (Marina Paris)

This is not a video installation, but it’s an installation with an image which keeps changing colours. This installation seems to open a new boundary for me in perceiving or thinking about images.


8.INSTALLATION SERIES OF UNTITLED 2007 (Sarawut Chutiwongpeti)

I’m more impressed with many things in this installation than the video.


9.YOKOHAMA UNTITLED + YOKOHAMA LINEWORK + STORM SEQUENCE (Shaun Gladwell)

These videos are good, but they don’t give me any surprises nor excitement after I saw another great work by Shaun Gladwell a few years ago.


10.BEING FOR 15 MINUTES (Edward Squire)

What I’m impressed the most in this video installation is the big white balloon where the viewers have to get inside to watch the video. I don’t pay attention at all to the video. I just love the big balloon.


11.YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (Tintin Cooper)

I’m more impressed with other things in the installation than the video.


12.NAVINS OF BOLLYWOOD (Navin Rawanchaikul + Naren Mojidra)

I’m more impressed with other things in the installation than the video.


13.WANT TO BE RICH (Pornprasert Yamazaki)

What I’m impressed the most is that the artist forces the viewers to stick their heads inside a box in order to see the video.


14.I’VE COME A LONG WAY (Dominic Redfern)


15.THE HOUSE OF WOOL (1998, Frederic Ollereau)
This video is a part of the textile exhibition METISSAGES. The video is nothing special if you compared it to other video arts. What makes this video special is that this video is the recording of a piece of textile which doesn’t exist any more. So this video comes to represent a piece of textile and stands among other pieces of textile in the exhibition.