morten søndergaard punctures l st

8/12/2019 Morten Sndergaard Punctures L ST

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Show-Bixbetween 1969 and 1971# the stor' of Show-Bixre$ains untold)

*his 8blan" in the reception of Hjholt0s wor" is so$ething of a $'ster'

/ which does not beco$e less strange &and thereb' interesting( when

'ou reali:e# that it does not end with Show-Bix) On the contrar'# as ! a$

contesting in $' h.2dissertation# Show-Bixis just the beginning of

so$ething i$portant) !t is a structural brea" with not onl' the past# but

also with the literar' production environ$ent 2 especiall'# but not

e,clusivel'# the .anish literar' $odernis$

*his change is not onl' $anifested in the e,peri$ents that are

conducted in the conte,t of Show-Bix# but also b' i$portant later wor"ssuch as the perfor$ative $edia poetic Show# the *;2fil$ Stoc#car# the

$edia boo" $olu!e# the video project The loss of lace that % a!

wal#ing in and# not least# the perfor$ative parodies of &ittes

'onologuesduring the 19+


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into other artfor$s) However# according to recent theories of the

8preservation of h'brid and contingent art practices# the associations

and traces of these objects are not gone) 5ather# these objects# ush"ir"

clai$s# 8retain traces of their previous histories even as the' are

reinscribed and dissolved into new conte,ts as part of a co$ple, overla'

of conventions)

*he $aterial of er Hjholt has undergone e,actl' this

process of dissolving of the original projects into new conte,ts# which

$a"es it difficult toda' to clai$ a clear view of Hjholt0s earl' $edia

conscious practice# including Show-Bix) *he e$pirical status of theartistic $aterial originating fro$ the $edia conscious practice of Show2

i, fro$ 196+271 is highl' co$ple, and even the objects are contingent

and fugitive) *his was partl' the point of the aesthetic e,peri$ents of

$edia conscious practice# of course# but nevertheless so$ething an'

interpretation and reception $ust ta"e into consideration) Or# ratherE this

contingenc' and fugitiveness in the artistic !aterialand strateg" lies atthe ver' centre of the field of $edia conscious practice# and contains an

episte$olog' of its own that we need to understand in order to be able to

interpret# or even understand# the field of $edia conscious practice)

Fe need new interpretive and $a'be even hu$anistic

strategies# in other words# to understand the artistic strategies and

episte$olog' of $edia art practice) And to achieve this it $a' be

productive 2 at least ! have found this to be the case 2 to operate in a

do$ain that activel' $a"e use of the co$petences fro$ both $useu$2

research and universit'2research) !nterpretive research beco$es $edia

conscious as well# and this $eans that focus on e$pirical $aterial#

being dependent upon its original conte,t# when loosing that

conte,tualit' receives a new# but b' no $eans less i$portant# statusE

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!n the process# the $ethod and $aterials that the artist selectsfor creating the wor" are transfor$ed# so that rather thanfunctioning just as the raw $atter or vehicle for the artist0saesthetic e,pression# the $aterials the$selves generate

associations that# together with the for$s into which the' areshaped# establish the subject or content of the wor" of art) =

*his describes perfectl' the status of the $aterial that still e,isted fro$

the da's of Show-Bixwhen ! graduall' found and reinstated it into the

conte,t of an e,hibition that ! was curating between =


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*he reception of Surroundingis not onl' a $atter of re2staging a

perfor$ance) !t is about the status of reception as such and our

"nowledge of the artwor"s3 pieces of Show-Bix) Surroundingis fra$ing#

as it were# the ver' instabilities of contingent values in a $ediated

cultureE

Adherence to e,ternal conventions that li$it and control theproduction of otherwise inherentl' reproducible wor"s isessential in order for such wor"s to be collected in the conte,tof a s'ste$ based on the i$portance of originalit' and rarit')*he $echanis$s b' which such authorship is regulated canrange fro$ assu$ed understandings to detailed writteninstructions# certificates# and even contractual arrange$ents)

*herefore# to enable reception to ta"e place# it is necessar' to create a

fra$ewor" for interpreting artistic practices based on heterogeneit' and a

lac" of st'listic consistenc')

!n the following# ! will give an idea of how the reception of

Show-Bixand the $edia conscious practice of er Hjholt are $ade

possible onl' b' creating a fra$ewor" for understanding fro$ a variet' of

$aterial and living 8survivors at hand)

Re-staging a hybrid field.

*he h'brid and e,peri$ental art practice fro$ the late 6


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that hu$ans have ever invented# and uses the$ activel') Here# a$ong

other things# the art engaged with the $ass $edia and the perfor$ative 3

happening aesthetics enters the stage)

*his is perhaps $ost visible in the $an' na$es that this

practice receives in the research on art $useu$s# where the condition of

art fro$ this period in ti$e is described asE ephe$eral# fragile# unstable#

contingent# fugitive# ti$e2based and3or dependent on variable $edia) !

want to envision this $useu$ in a larger perspective and define a

co$$on ground fro$ which this art practice is both produced and

perceived) *his co$$on ground# ! would clai$# is $edia consciousness/ and ! will ta"e a little ti$e here to develop this concept# and its histor')

*he $edia consciousness $anifests itself on all levels# fro$

the practice and habits of the production of the artist# to the wa's a

$useu$ deals with the histor' of such a culture or art) And also# in the

wa' ordinar' life is organised) *he Bart2productions0 of $edia

consciousness are not artefacts or art2wor"s in an' for$alistic or

$odernist sense / but how# then# $a' this conceptual practice be

described@ And is it possible to identif' so$ething which is -ualitativel'

new# so$ething that is not part of or could be e,plained fro$ an e,isting

genre or the episte$olog' of a specific art for$) Hjholt hi$self

describes the situation of $edia consciousness as so$ething which

rese$bles a process of conceptual integrations based upon the $aterial

and opportunities at handwithin the given networ" of social and cultural

conte,ts# including the relations of art to societ'# $ass $edia and

technolog')

*he $aterial is DIJ the totalit' of perceptions# as well aspossible perceptions# which is available to the poet) !t is hisprivate life) !t is his life with societ' and in societ') !t is the lifeof societ' around hi$) *he Material is K;K5L*H!% that he is

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capable of using) *his appeal should be as pure andcoincidental as an echo sounder)G

er Hjholt is scanning ever'thing that surrounds hi$# and wishes to

$a"e this influ, of $aterial as open and non2nor$ative as possible / all

inclusive) !t is in this situation that Hjholt $a"es the clai$ that 8$edia

consciousness is essential to the artist)6

*he word 8artist has a double2sense in the sentence# since

Hjholt uses the .anish ter$ 8artist &perfor$ing artist( instead of

8"unstner &creative3producing artist( / the latter being the t'pical

situation for a poet or a visual artist) ' infusing the perfor$ing artist intothe conte,t# Hjholt is doing so$ething ver' i$portant) He is not onl'

pointing out the necessit' of an' artistic practice to co$e to ter$s with

the issue of perfor$ativit' and te$poralit'# as well as contingenc'# that is

the result of the h'brid condition of art) He also pointedl' $a"es it his

business to co$bine the perfor$ative and creative3producing artistic role

into one strategic# and transdisciplinar'# practice)*he echo sounder of er Hjholt pic"s up the different signals#

practices and theories# of the period# and $i,es the$ up# infusing the$

with $edia consciousness)

*he h'brid artfor$s is the product of the artistic practice that

this $edia sensibilit' creates / one which# according to er Hjholt#

preconditions the dissolution of genres) Fh'@ According to Hjholt this

leads the artist closer to a condition that $a' e,press so$ething that is

i$portant and has a chance of finding a real public it is a wa' of $a"ing

us witness a process and what is behind the scene of &co$$on( sense2

$a"ing) he e&periments conucte in the conte&t of Show-Bixre!er'erate

5er Hjholt# 678annes !etode&The 'ethod of 678anne(# 4benhavnE 1967# p)7+)*his passage# and the following# are translated b' $e)6

er Hjholt# %ntethedens gri!asser The &ri!aces of 2othingness0# 4benhavnE197=# p) 1=

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throu"h all of Per Hjholt.s prouctions from aroun 19+ an onars *n

fact, Show-Bixis the first e&ample of a meia conscious practice that

'ecomes the "eneral momentum, a parai"m, in Per Hjholt.s artistic

prouctions % or more accurately5 artistic communications He e&presses

this as a ish to 'rea$ free from the literary en!ironment of prouctionan to in!ol!e an coorinate se!eral aesthetic iscourses an artforms in

a meticulously planne strate"y he e&periments ith Show-Bixare the

first e&amples of in hat irection this parai"matic 'rea$ ith a fi&e

artistic en!ironment of prouction oul 'rin" Per Hjholt as an artist

6irst of all, it 'rin"s him into the periphery of the a!ant-"are an the

ne artistic mo!ements of the late +0s, ith hich he is only somehat

familiar at the time Hoe!er, he fins it necessary to or$ ithin that

a!ant-"are, at least for a start, to 'e a'le, later, to mo!e on 7econly,

the practices of Per Hjholt ta$e on the characteristics of in!esti"ations,

rather than finishe artor$s he e&periment 8uic$ly e!elops toars a

practice that, hen !iee in the li"ht of the uncompromisin" chan"es of

forms of communication an cultural patterns that meia an ne

technolo"ies ha!e 'rou"ht to human society in the en of 20thcentury,

in!esti"ates hat art in this situation can o to communicate to an

auience % 'ecause hermetic conitions hols no future

Surrounding the audience piece by piece

!n this article# ! have chosen to focus on one particular piece b' Show-

BixE 9!ringning:or Surrounding&1969/7


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&hence the $eaning of 8Show-Bix;: i*e* it is a !ixer - a de5ice: an open

for!: or e5en a shop: which !ixes( and adapting the$ to the new $edia

of the da' and for a stage)

i"e the other pieces in Show-Bix# an' anal'sis and interpretation $ust

be based upon docu$entation# props# sound recordings and other

$aterial used in the perfor$ance as well as letters fro$ the participants#

describing the processes Show-Bix)7Nro$ this last source we learn a lot

/ including the i$portant point that the instabilit' of the Show-Bixpieces

was in fact alread' so$ething of an issue in the ti$e of Show-BixEI what ! have been wor"ing on $ostl' in DtheJ last 'ear hasbeen SHOF ! / a perfor$ance that is poorl' represented ina score) *he score and tape ! send 'ou is a co$pro$ise#since the original G channels of sound is collected onto astereo2tape) !f a description of this piece has to $a"e an'sense# 'ou have to i$agine the perfor$ative situation as wellas read out loud the spo"en te,t according to the score)+

7asic principles when dealing with the registration and conservation of unstable andcontingent# h'brid and $ediated artfor$s# areE1( .ocu$entation is a li$ited source with regards to site2specific# perfor$ative orotherwise ephe$eral art wor"s)=( Conservation of such wor" is proble$atic in case of obsolete technolog' / stagingtoda' will be non2s'nchronous with initial production)>( !nteraction with conte,t / proble$ of authorship when art is reali:ed in non2artspaces)( *he basis of 8aesthetic judg$entE *o understand how a wor" of $edia2art wasreali:ed includes far $ore than an insight into its aesthetics and use of artistic$aterials) !t is $uch $ore a -uestion of what the judg$ent is based upon / whichoften $a' i$pl' a description 3 instruction or si$pl' a 8te,t 3 outline 3 $anuscript3score) *he object of art is supple$ented or even supplanted b' infor$ation aboutthe artist0s conception)! have written on this subject in different conte,ts / ! will $ention one i$portant hereEthe curating of a collection of contingent# conte$porar' art of which ! have been incharge since 1999 at the Museu$ of Conte$porar' Art in 5os"ilde# .en$ar")

8

Application to the .anish Arts Council b' %unner Mller edersen# translated b'Morten Sndergaard# original written on t'pewriter# dated =63= 197


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Nortunatel'# the score in -uestion still e,ists# and this fact co$bined with

the e,istence of the original sound tapes $a"es it possible to re2stage

Surroundingin a wa' that for$all'# if not conte,tuall'# is ver' close to the

original) !n connection with the research for $' dissertation

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Nigur 1) hoto docu$entation fro$ the restaging of Surrounding:ta"enat the e,hibition Between the "ars - #"$for%ing &'(holt. Mediart

9)*-+# *he Museu$ of Conte$porar' Art# 5os"ilde# .en$ar"# QuneSepte$ber =


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&i$$ediate(# o$"vd &refrain(# o$l'd&e( &wordsounds(#o$tale &referring to3 $entioning()1=

*he wor"ing process is so$eti$es at a distance# so$eti$es around a

table / where ideas are plotted and drawn on a piece of paper as the can

be seen fro$ the e,a$ple shown here)

Nigure =) Hand drawn s"etch of the ph'sical set2up of Surroundingb'oul !b Henri"sen and Show-Bix# in the collection of the Museu$ ofConte$porar' Art# 5os"ilde &MNS4() Archive trac"ing codeE 12()

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co$$unicates a hidden structure / a structure beneath the "nown and

visible structures) Apart fro$ being a brainstor$ing# the ga$e of words

are good e,a$ples of how thoroughl' the role is developed fro$ being

$erel' a clever idea to being a perfect artistic for$ of actionE A

surrounding) OrE A practice)

Nigure > Slides of the first three letters used in Surrounding)

*his collective wor"ing process had an influence on ever'thing that is

produced individuall' b' the three artists) *his includes the -uinta phonic

sound as well as Hjholt0s te,t that is being produced for Surrounding#

and which often needs a lot of rewor"ing and si$plif'ing when entering

the space of $ediated identit' / and in the process the te,t receives both

a sonic and visual presence in space# as well as a ti!ingwhich is

essential when co$$unicating the fra$es of $ind to the audienceE

As 'ou can see# ! have tried to do Dthe te,tJ $uch si$pler# aswe discussed) Nro$ this it follows that it beco$es $ore$onotonous# but that is perhaps as it should be# since thecirculation of $usic# light and te,t alread' is rather

co$plicated) erhaps it would be possible to let two la'ers ofvoices wor" on the sa$e tape and let the$ be trans$itted

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fro$ the spea"ers with a s$all or dr' 8snap# a dr' dead soundin between@ Sa$e sound could $ove li"e a $etrono$e# inintervals# between the spea"ers in the corners so that it wouldalwa's appear in the opposite corner fro$ where the sound

ca$e fro$) A snap# a clap or the li"e / ! have drea$t it li"ethis# 'ou see# and it wor"ed out for$idabl') !t would introducea "ind of ti$ing into the piece that on the one hand would$ar" out the diagonals of the space and on the other handpartl' would give roo$ for te,tual brea"s and $a'be even anending with great effect) MALK) ! have been thin"ing / now itis 'our turn)1

*i$ing beco$es i$portant to ever'thing that Show-Bixis doing) !t is

i$portant as a $ar"ing out of the ti$e spent and used in the pieces#

which beco$e intervals rather than entities of ideas or $eanings)

Nigure ) S"etch for stage $ove$ent# detail) MNS4 archive codeE 12


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8ringing# a world of $aterials $ade of words# i$ages and sounds

including the ringing of assorted bells &i)e) cowbells and school bells( b'

the perfor$ers) *he' are shepherds and are being herded at the sa$e

ti$e)

Nigure G) Nront of the original score forSurrounding.

;er' earl' in the process of $a"ing Surrounding:the need for a basic

structure beca$e apparent) A $ethod fro$ which the ti$ing could be

staged / and wor" li"e a co$position on several levels) Nor that ver'

reason# the' decided to produce a score for the piece) Here the ele$ent

of ti$ing beco$es visible b' the ti$e schedule in the left $argin of the

score) *he right $argin indicates the action and te,t to be read &se figur

og G()1G

Kver' preparation is being done with the greatest care for

details) othing is left to coincidence ever'thing is discussed again and

again) *his results in the $a"ing of a second score that focuses on the

sound2structure of Surroundingand the different la'ers of voices)16

15Show-Bix) S"etch for score# MNS4 archive codeE 12


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Nigur 6) age one fro$ original score) MNS4 archive trac"ing codeE 12


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Nor the actual perfor$ance# the perfor$ers each had their

cop' of the score# which was alwa's pac"ed in a suitcase standing read'

for the pop group to $ove out# at an' ti$e) One of the copies &%unner

Mller edersen0s( still e,ists)1+*he entire piece was perfor$ed using

this score# ever' ti$e) *he use of headla$ps was not onl' an aesthetic

idea# but a practical solution for the perfor$ers to be able to read the

score in a rather dar" roo$)

One interesting thing that 'ou notice in the score is that the

te,t b' Hjholt has been cut up in pieces# as it were# to be fitted into the

ti$ed sectionsENirst the' go then the' pass b' and $ove on until the' pass b'again and go again for a whileI19

*he te,t beco$es a &sound( i$age of itself / it beco$es its own object#

so to spea" it is about the ti$e it ta"es for the words to pass through the

sentences# about the ti$e it ta"es for the letters to pass through the

words# and it is about the stage the language / letters# words# sentences/ enters before it beco$es $eaning) Concretel'E *he alphabet passes

around the audience and the perfor$ers and the sounds fro$ the

spea"ers are doing the sa$e thing) *he audience reall' is surrounded b'

a language of contingenc')

, language of contingenc

*he audience is sitting so that there is a free passage alongthe walls) !n the corners there are four spea"ers a fifth isplaced above the heads of the audience) A slide projector iscirculating in the $iddle of the roo$ and the i$ages ju$p fro$wall to wall) *hree persons are $oving along the walls in thedar"# wearing head2la$ps) *he' carr' instru$ents with which

18Cop' of final score# MNS4 archive codeE 12


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e,peri$ent# which ! clai$ beco$es an i$portant beginning of a decisive

change in the artistic project of er Hjholt) ot even b' er Hjholt

hi$self# it see$s=1) evertheless# Show-Bixis vital to not onl' his

develop$ent of a $edia conscious practice but also to the paradig$atic

change of his own artistic project which fro$ then on should be viewed

as strategies and practices of $edia consciousness)==

Since the onl' e,isting reception of Show-Bixis to found in

S"ste!digtningen# ! would li"e to ta"e a closer loo" at the boo" b'

Hejls"ov arsen) He anal'ses and interprets the te,tual e,peri$ents of

the period into a new &poetic( paradig$E Bs'ste$ poetr'0) As the subtitleof the boo" suggests# s'ste$ poetr' should be construed as the third

phase of $odernis$ / a series of literar' e,peri$ents# the first phase of

which was conducted b' the Nrench poet Apollinaire# the A$erican poet

%ertrude Stein# the dada2$ove$ent and the surrealists a$ong $an'

others) *he second phase too" on na$es such as# Concretis$# S'ste$

ainting# op art# Happenings# and Klectronic Music# as well as ewSi$plicit') S'ste$ poetr' brings the earlier e,periences and e,peri$ents

of $odernis$ as well as the avant2garde# and fro$ all artistic genres#

together in new constellations)=>According to Hejls"ov arsen#

$odernis$ is the nor$ in the rest of the world# and ever' new

e,peri$ent has been done in its na$e)=

!t is suggested b' Hejls"ov arsen that# S'ste$ oetr' is

closel' related to op art# Mini$al art# Op2art and other si$ilar

21!n =


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$ove$ents within painting and sculpture=G# and he $a"es the

observation that $an' of the S'ste$ oets wor" in sculpture# painting#

fil$# happenings and perfor$ance etc) *here is no doubt that all these

artists and genres# including the third phase of Modernis$# did have an

influence on Hjholt) ut $a'be not -uite the wa' Hejls"ov arsen could

i$agine in 1971) Kven toda'# >G 'ears later# it should be evident that

Show-Bixis so$ething co$pletel' different than poetr' and indeed

Modernis$ / third phase or not?

*o several of the artists and perfor$ers that is $entioned in

the boo"# the description is rather accurate / this is indeed the case with#for instance# er 4ir"eb' &who is the e,ponent of op art in .en$ar" at

this ti$e( and Qrgen eth# as well as the poets eter augesen and

Hans2Qrgen ielsen whose s'ste$atic use of e,tra2literar' $ethods in

their poetic practice was belonging to a Bthird phase of $odernis$0) ut

in the case of Hjholt $atters are different# which in $' opinion the

e,a$ple of Show-Bixclearl' shows) !t is possible# then# to suggest thatHjholt 2 because of his transdisciplinar' collaboration in Show-Bix2 is

puncturing the first# second and third phase of Modernis$ in the

peripher' of an avant2garde# that he does not full' share goals with) He

atte$pts to achieve a clear brea" with the division of genres and

artfor$s as well as to see" out a non2elitist audience) He finds $ass

$edia interesting as a for$ of contingenc' / as well as a $eans of

co$$unicating art to a broader audience) Hjholt also clearl' wants to

brea" with the &literar'( environ$ents in .en$ar" which t'picall' consists

of the sa$e =< people reading and critici:ing each other that is#

Hjholt was tr'ing to produce wor"s of art that can be accessed b' $ore

than a few Be,perts0# critics or artists)

25Steffen Hejls"ov arsen# S"ste!digtningen 'odernis!ens tredje fase&4benhavnE Mun"sgaard# 1971(# p)>>) M' translation)

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to $iss) Nro$ that follows the conscious contestation of the individual

artist2as2the creative2subject as well as the ver' conscious dissolving of

genres which perhaps was not clear in 197


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of art and possibilities of change) *his is the idea behind calling it a

Bshow0 / it is a recogni:able for$# a stage that through different

strategies opens up a field of possibilities)

A perfor$ative and $ediated for$ is established in

Surroundingwhere audiences do not need to brea" a secret code to be

part of what is happening) !n spite of its free for$# the happening often

intensifies the sense of a distance between those Binside0 and those

Boutside0 an artistic or acade$ic circle)

*H!S is the real point with the e,peri$ent of Show-BixE !t

addresses an uninitiated audience) Show-Bixis not a poetic practice buta $edia conscious practice that punctures the platfor$s of $odernis$

and co$$ercial $edia which $eans that the cognitive spaces and

patterns that have been constructed around these platfor$s are

dissolved and e$ptied of $eaning and values)

!n a boo" fro$ 19+># ;ilU$ Nlusser describes this new t'pe of

artistic practitioner as an Boperator0 which assu$es that the structure ofculture / and therefore e,istence itself / is undergoing funda$ental

changesE

*his is a new "ind of function in which hu$an beings areneither the constant nor the variable but in which hu$anbeings and apparatus $erge into a unit') !t is thereforeappropriate to call photographers functionaries)=9

Show-Bixis such an apparatus / it is a $edia conscious practiceperfor$ed in all $edia and cultural $aterials at hand) And Hjholt

beco$es one of the first functionaries of $edia consciousness in

.en$ar"# surrounding the audience with words# i$ages and sound)

29;ilU$ NlusserE Towards a hilosoph" of hotograph"&FiltshireE 5ea"tion oo"s#=


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Timing the strategy: commando raid into nothingness

*he e,peri$ents conducted in Show-Bixshould be seen as a part of an

artistic practice that er Hjholt later# in 197=# ter$ed 8a co$$ando raid

into nothingness) *he $edia conscious practice is not onl' about thei$$ediac' of co$$unication that $edia creates) !t is even $ore about

the change in the relation between $an and world# realit' and art / and

the e,tension of art into new spaces li"e the $ediated# perfor$ative and

social spaces) !n the ti$e after 1967# er Hjholt0s artistic production#

also his $ore poetic wor" is part of a $edia conscious strateg' /

founded in a search for new do$ains of art after the dissolution ofgenresE

*he road towards h'brid art for$s do not $ove throughunselfish and opti$istic collaborations# but finds that which arthas alwa's put up as a condition for a wor" of artE *he strivingof a te$pera$ent) *he wor" of art is a result of so$e "ind ofdo$inanceI ut even with this as a precondition# no h'bridartwor" could beco$e valid co$$unication as long as itrelates to the nor$s that the criteria of a genre createI *hecreation of h'brid art for$s preconditions the dissolution ofgenres)>1# and one of

the things that the h'brid art practice produces is the possibilit' for a new

artistic language to brea" with old aesthetic 8nor$sE

eing an artist is characterised b' I the abilit' to create the

conditions for a use of language# utili:ing these conditions anddestro' the$ with and b' his3her wor" of art) Art is practice#suddenl' so$ething can be acco$plished# and whenever'thing is acco$plished# then art is abolished DIJ *hat willbe the $o$ent in ti$e when it is no longer possible to have apractice which $eans that the nor$s will not be accessiblean'$ore) *his will be the hour of truth and the $o$ent wheresi$ilarities will "ill us all)>=

30

er HjholtE 678annes !etode = The !ethod of 678anne# 1967# p)=)31er HjholtE %ntethedens gri!asser = The &ri!aces of 2othingness# 197=) ) >32er HjholtEOp)cit)# ) )

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Hjholt sees a danger with an' "ind of aesthetics# because it cannot be

used in a Bpure0 for$) According to Hjholt# aesthetics as a $ethod

involves its user and is coloured b' hi$3her and b' the societ' fro$

which it has e$erged as well as b' the e,perience of the societ' that the

user of the aesthetics has# consciousl' or unconsciousl') *herefore# the

user has to e,plore the validit' of the $ethod in the sa$e process as it is

used# criticising it and tr' to brea" it down# even though it $a' see$ as

the $ost ade-uate solution at the ti$e)>>

One i$portant criteria of an' $edia conscious practice# then#is that it targets an audience which is part of the general public and the

social spaces of a de$ocratic cultureE

D*he purpose isJ to draw the public into a production of$eaning fro$ pre$ises that it has not chosen# whereb' givingthe public a possibilit' toI e,perience the e,istence as apoised# proble$atic# responsible# and continuous production of$eaning)>

Art practice is alwa's part of an aesthetic strateg'# which ai$s at

neutrali:ing the prejudices of an audience) !n fact# aesthetics is strateg'

/ but not one that is decided fro$ the prejudices and wishes of the

receiver)>G

*herefore# it is necessar' to operate with a Bstrateg' of

aesthetic strategies# which $eans that $edia conscious practice isactivel' e,ploring the relation between art and realit' instead of

representing itE

Fhen a strateg' of strategies can be $aintained DIJ it isbecause the relation between language and realit' has

33

er HjholtE op)cit)# p)>634er Hjholt# op)cit)# p)>735er Hjholt# op)cit)# p)+

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changed DIJE Fhereas language was utili:ed to describerealit' it is now used in an e,ploration of realit')>6

Fhat is being produced b' the $edia conscious practice is a strateg'

that e,plores the real ti$e relations between art# $edia and

perfor$ance) *i$e and ti$ing is the $atri, of er Hjholt0s e,ploration of

realit'# as well as of his own practice as an artist) !t is an e$pt'ing of the

conventional ideas of aesthetics# of an' referential function of art to

realit') *his# er Hjholt calls a 8co$$ando raid into nothingnessE

!nstead of $a"ing the te,t in to a $as" of nothingness# it could

be $ade into a gri$ace which $eans that 'ou follow the$as" with words# so to spea") !nstead of $a"ing te,ts that aree$pt'ing the$selves into nothingness DIJ ! want to follow upon the process of e$pt'ing with words) !t is a "ind ofco$$ando raid into nothingness or out in to the societ'# asso$e would choose to call it)>7

K,isting in the peripher'# on the ver' edge of# the avant2garde of his da'#

er Hjholt0s $edia conscious practice is a co$$ando raid intonothingness and societ') !t is a transdisciplinar' platfor$ being founded#

with new nor$s and for$alis$s co$ing into being) ut it is also a new

wa' of grasping the 8role of art in societ'# as so$ething creating and

investigating real hu$an relations rather than representing the$) And for

that reason alone# understanding the post21967 project of er Hjholt is

perhaps even $ore i$portant toda' than it was in his own ti$e)

36er Hjholt# op)cit)# p)937er Hjholt# op)cit)# p)G=

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iterature

Martha us"ir"# *he Contingent Object of Conte$porar' Art &ChicagoE

M!*# =

morten søndergaard punctures l st

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