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Vito Acconci

A poet of the New York school in the early- and mid-1960s, Vito Acconci moved toward performance, sound, and video work by the end of the decade. Acconci changed direction in order to "define [his] body in space, find a ground for [him]self, an alternate ground for the page ground [he] had as a poet." Acconci’s early performances—including Claim (1971) and Seedbed (1972)—were extremely controversial, transgressing assumed boundaries between public and private space, and between audience and performer. Positioning his own body as the simultaneous subject and object of the work, Acconci’s early video tapes took advantage of the medium’s self-reflexive potential in mediating his own and the viewer’s attention. Consistently exploring the dynamics of intimacy, trust, and power, the focus of Acconci’s projects gradually moved from his physical body (Conversions, 1971) toward the psychology of interpersonal transactions (Pryings, 1971), and later, to the cultural and political implications of the performative space he set up for the camera (The Red Tapes, 1976). Since the late '70s, Acconci has designed architectural and installation works for public spaces.

Also see:

Vito Acconci: An Interview

Vito Acconci–Conversations


Available Titles by Vito Acconci

Title Year Runtime Collection
Association Area 1971 01:02:13 Early Video Art, Single Titles
Centers 1971 00:22:43 Early Video Art, Single Titles
Claim Excerpts 1971 01:00:20 Early Video Art, Single Titles
Command Performance 1973 00:57:23 Early Video Art, Single Titles
Face-Off 1972 00:32:54 Early Video Art, Single Titles
Open Book 1974 00:09:10 Early Video Art, Single Titles
Pryings 1971 00:17:38 Early Video Art, Single Titles
The Red Tapes 1976 02:20:00 Early Video Art, Single Titles
Remote Control 1971 01:02:15 Early Video Art, Single Titles
Sounding Board 1970 00:21:26 Early Video Art, Single Titles
Theme Song 1973 00:33:17 Early Video Art, Single Titles
Turn-On 1974 00:21:56 Early Video Art, Single Titles
Two Track 1971 00:28:35 Early Video Art, Single Titles
Undertone 1972 00:37:20 Early Video Art, Single Titles
Waterways: 4 Saliva Studies 1971 00:22:25 Early Video Art, Single Titles
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