ICA shows 'off-the-wall' videos

Patrons sitting outside of Xando enjoyed more than a cup of coffee and conversation last Wednesday night. Along with other members of the University community, they witnessed the Institute of Contemporary Art's Open Video Call, the first in a series of events from which video selections will be chosen and exhibited in the museum's new video viewing station. The Open Video Call, as the name suggests, was a non-curated event providing the opportunity for any artist to submit and receive feedback on a six-minute video clip. Video clips were accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis and the first 20 clips received were projected both on a giant screen outside of the ICA and in an auditorium inside of the museum. ICA Director Claudia Gould, who was recently named to her position and is working to increase student participation in the ICA, emphasized that this event would "open something up at the ICA and draw attention to it." "Being new in the community, [the Open Video Call] is a chance to become familiar with artists' work," she said. The film clips ranged from the realistic to the abstract. In one, a girl was portrayed struggling to do a sit-up, flopping to the ground after the six minutes of footage. Other clips included a tribute to the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto, a satirical film that made fun of advertisements in fashion magazines and a portrayal of people blowing glass and smashing glassware. In addition to the tone, the quality of the films also varied. While some resembled home videos, others incorporated special effects like animation and computer-generated graphics. Between each clip, the artists introduced themselves and briefly explained what their clips were about, and following the viewing, those who attended discussed the videos. "I found the clips visually entertaining and stimulating," said Raymond Hayes, an independent filmmaker, producer and director who was participating in the Open Video Call. He considered them "textually beautiful" despite the fact that many were made by amateur artists. According to Assistant ICA Curator Alex Baker, the Open Video Call was an easy opportunity to "access the creativity of the local video art scene." As opposed to going through the longer and more tedious process of submitting clips and waiting for a response, the event gave the artists immediate feedback on their work. That was an appeal shared by many of the artists participating in the Open Video Call, as it gave them the chance to get public exposure. "I've been looking for places to do installations and alternative venues besides broadcast," said Laureen Griffin, an artist from Philadelphia. Chris Mullen, also from Philadelphia, was excited about the chance to "expose [his] video and hopefully show it more than it would be shown otherwise." The gallery hopes to host three more Open Video Calls throughout the year, the next to be held on January 12, Gould said. Gould originally started Open Video Call five years ago at the Artist's Space in New York City, where she formerly served as executive director. "It was very successful," Gould said. "I have the same hopes for here."

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