Tony Oursler

February 17, 2003 8:12 PM

Tony Oursler: video/installation artist [more inside]
posted by eddydamascene (7 comments total)

"Tony Oursler's work centres on our acceptance of the vanishing distinction between what is real and what is constructed through the use of common yet mimetic forms such as video, computers, television, film, photographs, talking heads and eyes etc. His fascination with the immense potential of new technologies and its power to imitate human spiritual and emotional capacities is an important feature of his work.

Oursler's video installations have been largely influenced by his examination of the media society and its effects on the soul of man, together with his analysis of the attempts made by psychological techniques to compensate for the dramatic loss of personal relations with fellow human beings. The pain of fragmentation and the reaction to the alienation from our bodies and from society is invoked into the theme of his new pieces of work." [from the first link]

Riiiight. He also projects video images on doll heads.
posted by eddydamascene at 8:12 PM on February 17, 2003

too... many... links...

such... small... letters...

*brain explodes*
posted by folktrash at 11:34 PM on February 17, 2003

I'm glad I finally clicked on a link and went to the Images section, eddy. Very impressive! Cool. Very very cool, and more so when you realize something like this is a sculpture (installation, really: acrylic on fiberglass sphere, videoprojected image), not a digital image.
On a side note, I like the "experimental" presentation of your post. Not sure if everyone has the attention span (1 minute, heh!) for many links, though.
posted by Shane at 9:03 AM on February 18, 2003

Really interesting stuff, eddydamascene - I had never heard of him before. His work is both fascinating and disturbing. Thanks!

But I almost missed this - I saw what appeared to be one link, clicked on it to get the NYT article. If I hadn't had the title tag option on, I might not have realized that each letter was a link. I don't mind the amount of links, but in deference to comments by Shane & folktrash, perhaps some should be saved for inside
posted by madamjujujive at 9:45 AM on February 18, 2003

But I almost missed this...
madam, I did the exact same thing...
posted by Shane at 12:18 PM on February 18, 2003

Ug, didn't anticipate the formatting causing problems.
*slinks away, and immediately returns*

I like the Influence Machine installations a lot. The smoke projections are really well executed, and I'm sure, live, the effect is that much greater.

I saw an Oursler exhibit a few years ago which showcased his doll work. Get Away 2 made me laugh, but it's definitely unnerving -- you walk in and see this flattened doll pinned under a mattress. After a few seconds, you realize the doll is blinking, and talking to you. Actually, it's telling you to leave. "What are you looking at? ... Get away from me. I'll kick your ass." (recollection aided by this review)
posted by eddydamascene at 2:31 PM on February 18, 2003

Oh no big deal eddy, I just think your post deserved more attention...but I think there are a lot of art post lurkers and aficionados who don't comment.
I was struck by the Influence Machine too...and now that you mention the talking doll head, that sounds so damn familiar...I am thinking I might have seen one of his works somewhere in my travels - either that, or it's a strong case of deja vu. At any rate, I'll keep an eye out for him now.
posted by madamjujujive at 6:36 PM on February 18, 2003