April 10 - June 14, 2014
The de Saisset Museum holds one of the most important collections of video art in the Bay Area. Comprised of rare videos and films, the collection represents a period in which the museum was a leader in commissioning and exhibiting video art. Rewind presents a special opportunity to experience some of the museum's rarely-seen video works. The exhibition is programmed in conjunction with the museum's 60th anniversary, celebrated in 2015.
In 1973, the de Saisset Museum commissioned a work from one of video art's pioneers, Douglas Davis. "The Santa Clara Tapes," a three part video series, was filmed on the Santa Clara University campus. This iteration of Rewind features part two of the series, Lighting/Stopping. The first segment of Lighting/Stopping, which shows a pinpoint of moving light in a field coupled with the heavy panting of Davis, presents the viewers with a distinct awareness of the medium and how it transmits information. The second segment, which is shot from the upper floors of Swig Residence Hall, is both provocative and challenging. It depicts the artist using light to stop traffic, making clear the boundaries of an interior world existing at a different time.
Image: Douglas Davis, Lighting/Stopping, 1973, video, color, 25 minutes, Commissioned by the de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara University, 5.19.