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Affected and/or Effected

Lawrence Weiner

1974 00:20:37 United StatesEnglishColor4:3Video
Tags:
Gender, Video History, Conceptual Art

Description

Affected and/or Effected begins with a close-up of a girl resting her head on her hand, reading. On the overlapping track a male voice states “affected,"—followed by a female voice that responds “and/or effected….”  This pattern of dividing words in half and presenting them in alternating male and female voices continues throughout the video. While what is seen is separated from what is heard, the boundaries between the audio and video portions of the piece are complicated by other sounds. The statement of intent is spoken: "An artist may construct an art. An art may be fabricated ….”

About Lawrence Weiner

Working in a wide variety of media, including video, film, books, audio tapes, sculpture, performance, installation, and graphic art, Lawrence Weiner consistently invokes social situations that elicit responses to issues of language, philosophy, theater, and art. Identified with conceptual art, Weiner is notable for his fervent desire to invent new forms and transformations. Unlike some conceptualists, Weiner does not shy away from materializing the art object—instead he tries to work across artistic conventions. A commitment to a democratic art, an art that adapts and changes form in response to cultural and social changes, is fundamental to all of his work. His videos stem from his preoccupation with the process or act of making art, with discourse surrounding art objects and the changing context of materials as they are used.