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 Test Tube
General Idea
Canada, 1979,
28 minutes
Shut the fuck up
General Idea
Canada, 1985,
14 minutes
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In 1979 the three artists of General
Idea produce their made-for-tv videotape Test Tube. It
adresses the artists relationship to the mass media via a
tongue in cheek analysis of the commodity value of art on
tv. Their aim : to stretch tv untill it starts to loose
shape. Their laboratory : the color bar lounge at the
1984 Miss General Idea Pavillion. Here, they experiment
with new cultural
cocktails and serve them to friends. Here, they
isolate artists as a control group and investigate their
reality shortage. This is pirate tv as test tube for
finding out how to make art consumable. Including
colorful ads already in Benetton-style as well as
psychology, sociology and media theory made to measure
the electronic image. The conspiracy of the
tv-dictatorship vs the ghetto of alternative channels
? The portrait of the artist as a young mother in front
of and on the tv-set ? How to become famous when you're a
tv-addict and artist alike ? Six years later, lots of
artists have learned their lesson and have become
media-savy. Therefore, in Shut The Fuck Up General Idea
looks at the media clichŽ of the artist and throws
in some useful lessons. Like, "Those that want to
please must please to live" and "What pleases
the media ? An artist in artist's drag !". So, this
sequel culminates in a grand performance painting,
designer-lounge version: in front of the audience, the
critics and the media, three artists paint three
canvasses with three stuffed poodles dripped in
International Klein Blue, while a live chamber orchestra
plays the soundtrack to "Mondo cane". Hey,
after all "It's a waste of time telling the media to
shut the fuck up". |
