Dazed: Walking up to the Tate Modern’s Blavatnik extension, you would be excused for finding your eyes wandering away from the 10ft high exhibition posters, and into the rooms of the Neo Bankside building. Sitting between the famous concrete walls of what used to be Bankside Power station and Herzog and de Meuron’s 2016 addition, the Neo Bankside building is a voyeur’s dream.
2 comments:
“The Clock” is not only an interesting piece of art conceptually, but massively impressive in its creation. To filter through decades of film clips searching not only for images of time, but for images that fall into the proper sequence is an overwhelming task. So, I commend Marclay for the time and effort put into such a detail-oriented project.
The subject matter is just as important as the construction and the length of time, however. A 24-hour film about a character in which the character is followed throughout his day isn’t as impactful as a 24-hour film about 24 hours passing. It’s the idea of elongating the period of time while also eliminating the storyline that makes “The Clock” an interesting and innovative work of art. The impact would be less effective were it not for the subject being a clock. This adds another layer – commentary – to the piece, without which it would just be a long ass film about nothing. The piece makes you think about time in some way, shape, or form. It’s unavoidable and I really like the contemplative element.
Of course, it isn’t about whether or not I like it, which is another thing I appreciate about Marclay. He’s creating work that he wants to create because he enjoys it and it fulfills his creative desires, not because people want to see it. This is such an important concept to grasp as an artist, because you will never be satisfied with your work if you’re waiting for other people to be satisfied or even interested first. In a way it’s about integrity, but it’s also about being selfish, which I believe are both necessary to be a successful artist. The idea that “this is my original work AND I’m making it because I want to.” I believe Marclay is a great example of this.
I'm a big fan of experimental film making. I know that film is one of the most easy to produce and reproduce as well as correct art mediums there is. Some would call this easy or lazy art, but I could not disagree more. "The Clock" is a perfect example of meticulous film making; nothing easy about it. I love how one of the film makers openly says that editing all this together was a nightmare. To be able to critique your own work that you undoubtedly spent countless hours on is a good quality I think all creators should have. I know some designers and directors who are unable to see that their work onstage is not the perfect best thing ever created. If you are unable to grow from your work by seeing its flaws then you'll never get anywhere. Anyway, this is a great art piece, and I'm glad that it got made and displayed.
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