The Art of Pop Video – Reviewed
Kayleigh Davies takes another look at FACT’s The Art of Pop Video, which closes later today…
The latest marquee exhibition at FACT examines the intertwined relationship between music and art, complimenting the opposite practice through exploring aesthetic techniques.
The pop video, at its most cynical a promo to shift units, has been – understandably in those terms – underestimated as an area of cultural significance; but there are years of evidence to suggest the two mediums have influenced one another dating back to the Punk era, most recently investigated in Tate Liverpool’s Glam exhibition.
Whatever your tastes, however varied, we each have those songs that link to a moment in our lives, to a memory that makes us smile involuntarily. This, says exhibition co-curator and film critic Daniel Kothenschulte, is his personal link with the Pet Shop Boys’ Go West:
“The history of this song is as a gay hymn, originally performed by The Village People, about going west to San Francisco … so entertaining and appealing, I found that so convincing. It shows everybody that [the pop video], it’s not just a commercial approach, it’s not tapestry or wallpaper, it’s something else … I will always remember the combination of sound and image.
“It used to be ‘they’re playing my song’, but now it’s like the memory of the song is connected to a certain kind of visual expression.”
The exhibition has been planned with much consideration, embracing you no matter your age, tastes or background; from those who recognise the work of visual artist Christian Jankowski, to those who know all the words to a Lady Gaga track. The Art of Pop Video provides stimulation to release your inner rebel, creating nostalgia as they showcase old favourites; the display combines fun with a serious message – it is expert in arguing that these ‘promos’ be elevated to their rightful place as legitimate art-forms – with a breadth that spans Politics to Hula Hooping.
FACT, mindful of engaging with every corner of society, accept that the diversity of their viewers is paramount to their practice. Of course, it is MTV we have to thank for delivering an on-going stream of music videos available to all (at least those who can afford the subscription), a medium, it is argued strongly here, that should take its place alongside any other form of visual art.
Nine curated sections fill galleries one and two. Starting with History, or origins, it’s pleasing to see the direct influences in movement and choreography jumping from screen to screen. The pure glee of watching Fred Astaire in Top Hat (1935), next to a colour explosion from animator Len Lye’s Rainbow Dance (1936), to a joyfully experimental early Disney, Freddy Martin’s Bumble Boogie (1948) (embracing surrealism only two years before its mainstream success with Cinderella).
This leads to the ‘now’ in pop video, the films that dominate the internet, that have power to influence, revolutionise, accost and inform. The Dancing of Politics, where art and music merge to produce a stronger, more direct political meaning; from the ridiculous Obama Girl – I Got A Crush On Obama (2007) (a meme that is said to have helped Obama into power by directly appealing to the younger voter), to George Michael’s satire on George W Bush, Shoot the Dog (2002), and Pussy Riot: Punk-Prayer Virgin Mother of God, Put Putin Away (2012). The most recent example here of how using this medium can have political impact (sparking a global outcry in response to Pussy Riot members ending up in jail).
The first exhibition of its kind in the UK, it is unique and precise in its aim. Closing today, The Art of Pop Video utilises audience interaction as the core of storytelling here, engaging viewers with a fun-loving approach while never flinching from the deeper meaning and significance at large.
Kayleigh Davies
The Art of Pop Video closes today Sunday 26th May until 6pm
