Taking Measures: Usages of Formats in Film and Video Art

The book "Taking Measures" explores the political potential of power and resistance in film and video, and how they can be used as measuring devices in scientific, economic, political, and other fields. It also examines how artistic practice can challenge and test these involvements, and how technologies of measurement can be used politically in the public sector.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 16 June 2023
Publisher: Scheidegger und Spiess AG, Verlag

The title of the book, "Taking Measures," holds a double significance: it refers to both the practices of measurement and the political potential of power and resistance. Throughout their history, from ancient times to the present day, film and video have been utilized as measuring devices for scientific, economic, political, and various other purposes, extending beyond the realm of art. By recognizing these diverse applications, we also uncover an opportunity for art to assess its effectiveness in public spaces and uncover potential resistance within artistic actions.

This book, which emerged from a series of dialogues between artists and researchers as part of the research project "Exhibiting Film: Challenges of Format" at the University of Zurich, delves into the issues of measures and formats in both content and design. It explores the practices of measurement, the production of knowledge and evidence for valuable research, where film and video are involved. It questions how artistic practice can make these involvements visible, challenge them, and test their validity. Furthermore, it examines the political potential of technologies of measurement in art and their application in the public sector. The book also explores the exhibition of formats as measures of art, their relationship with exhibition spaces and their economies of valorization, and the assessment of this relationship.

To address these questions, the book features illuminating and richly illustrated essays that provide comprehensive insights into these topics. These essays are written by experts in the field, offering a wealth of knowledge and perspectives. By exploring the complexities of measures and formats in film and video, "Taking Measures" contributes to our understanding of these media as tools for inquiry, creativity, and social change. It serves as a valuable resource for artists, researchers, and anyone interested in the intersection of art, technology, and politics.

Weight: 984g
Dimension: 230 x 160 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783858818881