Stills, 23 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh EH1 1BP
7:00 pm, 22nd October 2009
In Two Minds was a two monitor installation first exhibited in the Serpentine Gallery, London in 1978. This work consisted of Atherton on one video monitor asking questions of himself on the other monitor. The questions, typically of that time, largely address the nature of the piece itself. At the time of making the piece he had no intention of using it beyond the Serpentine show, the rough and ready state of the black and white tapes attest to this. However, the ‘open’ or ‘incomplete’ nature of the work allows him to ‘re-enter’ it and create a new live version, where as a 58 year old man he can answer questions put to him by his 27 year old former self.
The REWIND + PLAY DVD, launched at this event, presents a selection of key works from the first decade of artist’s video practice in the UK. From early conceptual experiments exploring the parameters of the medium to works dealing with media culture and television this collection explores the range and diversity of the first years of video as new media. Produced in collaboration with LUX.