Questions:
You seem to have a wide range of interests or subject matters in your work, most relating to popular culture and or science fiction. Also the audience seems very carefully considered as you often pose direct questions in the work or present it in a way specific to a certain kind of viewing experience. What are your main motivations behind making your work? Are you using it as a kind of PSA?
Your use of sarcasm and humor creates a strong sense of ambiguity in your films. I wonder what the intended viewer reaction is supposed to be, is it unusual to see people laughing out loud, confused, or scared?
On a personal note, how did you end up teaching at the University of South Carolina?
Response:
I need to be honest, I just don't get "video art." I am ashamed to say this because I feel like there is just something I'm missing. Almost every time I see video work I think, 'okay, I'm going to try really hard to understand this this time, go!' and I always disappoint myself. I also thought that the more I watched, the more I would start to understand. That's not happening either and I think the problem is, I don't know what to look for. Do video artists want me to see concept? Do they want me to get visual cues? What am I supposed to think of the sound? Am I supposed to be confused or trying to figure things out? I don't know how to view it as an artistic medium partly because I have no experience using it myself, and I have never learned how to talk about it. I feel like this is a problem I need to talk to someone about before I get out of school, I'm too old for this, I need some video art guidance.
With all of that said, I could tell that Simon Tarr was smart, and that he knew a lot about what he was doing, I just did not. He didn't give conceptual explanations for any of the pieces or talk about his inspirations, so I don't know if that is supposed to be important. I am trying to figure out if I am supposed to be entertained by the same image flickering on the screen for twenty minutes, or is the point that I become bored and then as a result introspective? I watched his films with an open mind and could understand how he was passionate about what he does and how he does it. I wish my questions were answered, but I just assumed my confusion was due to my own lack of knowledge in the field and didn't want to bother everyone else with that. He was nice enough to answer my questions afterwards about working in South Carolina, as my family all went to University of South Carolina and I was curious about the art scene.
Response:
I need to be honest, I just don't get "video art." I am ashamed to say this because I feel like there is just something I'm missing. Almost every time I see video work I think, 'okay, I'm going to try really hard to understand this this time, go!' and I always disappoint myself. I also thought that the more I watched, the more I would start to understand. That's not happening either and I think the problem is, I don't know what to look for. Do video artists want me to see concept? Do they want me to get visual cues? What am I supposed to think of the sound? Am I supposed to be confused or trying to figure things out? I don't know how to view it as an artistic medium partly because I have no experience using it myself, and I have never learned how to talk about it. I feel like this is a problem I need to talk to someone about before I get out of school, I'm too old for this, I need some video art guidance.
With all of that said, I could tell that Simon Tarr was smart, and that he knew a lot about what he was doing, I just did not. He didn't give conceptual explanations for any of the pieces or talk about his inspirations, so I don't know if that is supposed to be important. I am trying to figure out if I am supposed to be entertained by the same image flickering on the screen for twenty minutes, or is the point that I become bored and then as a result introspective? I watched his films with an open mind and could understand how he was passionate about what he does and how he does it. I wish my questions were answered, but I just assumed my confusion was due to my own lack of knowledge in the field and didn't want to bother everyone else with that. He was nice enough to answer my questions afterwards about working in South Carolina, as my family all went to University of South Carolina and I was curious about the art scene.
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