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 Test Tube Shut the fuck up |
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". |
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 Une Journée dans une Famille Belge |
 Les Maîtres Fous |
 The Simple Song |
 Trobriand Cricket |
 Gender Crash |
 My Crasy Life |
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