Difference between revisions of "Steina and Woody Vasulka"
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Steina ('''Steinunn Briem Bjarnadottir''') was born 1940 in [[Reykjavík]]. Studied languages and music at the music conservatory in [[Prague]]. | Steina ('''Steinunn Briem Bjarnadottir''') was born 1940 in [[Reykjavík]]. Studied languages and music at the music conservatory in [[Prague]]. | ||
| − | Woody was born 1937 in [[Brno]]. He studied at the School of Industrial Engineering in Brno (-1956) and the Academy of Performing Arts | + | Woody was born 1937 in [[Brno]]. He studied at the School of Industrial Engineering in Brno (-1956) and television and film production at the Academy of Performing Arts in [[Prague]]. |
| − | They met in the early 1960s, and 1965 emigrated to [[New York]] where Steina worked as a freelance musician. In 1969 they start to experiment with electronic media and produce a pioneering body of tapes, investigating the narrative, syntactical and metaphorical potential of electronic imaging. In 1971 founded [[The Kitchen]]. 1974 moved to [[Buffalo|Buffalo, New York]] with its Experimental TV Studio and experimented with the camera as an autonomous imaging instrument in what would become the [[Machine Vision]] series. 1981 moved to [[Santa Fe|Santa Fe, New Mexico]] and continued their work in video, media performance, and video installation. Woody's development of an expressive image-language began as a rigorous deconstruction of the materiality of the electronic signal, and has evolved to the application of imaging codes and digital manipulation to narrative strategies and a series of interactive installations in the 1990s. | + | They met in the early 1960s, married in 1964, and 1965 emigrated to [[New York]] where Steina worked as a freelance musician, and Woody as a film editor. Contact with the cinema enabled him to experiment with electronic sound and the stroboscopic projection of moving images. Using a 16 mm Pathe camera, he captured images at 360º, projecting them onto different screens to create three-dimensional sound and light environments. In 1969 they start to experiment with electronic media and produce a pioneering body of tapes, investigating the narrative, syntactical and metaphorical potential of electronic imaging. He first came into contact with the electronic video work through the exhibition [[TV as a Creative Medium]], which took place in [[New York]] in [[1969]] and featured work by [[Nam June Paik]], [[Frank Gillette]], [[Ira Scheider]] and [[Eric Siegel]]. |
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| + | In 1971 they founded [[The Kitchen]]. 1974 moved to [[Buffalo|Buffalo, New York]] with its Experimental TV Studio and experimented with the camera as an autonomous imaging instrument in what would become the [[Machine Vision]] series. 1981 moved to [[Santa Fe|Santa Fe, New Mexico]] and continued their work in video, media performance, and video installation. Woody's development of an expressive image-language began as a rigorous deconstruction of the materiality of the electronic signal, and has evolved to the application of imaging codes and digital manipulation to narrative strategies and a series of interactive installations in the 1990s. | ||
1992 American Film Institute Maya Deren Award. Under a commission from [[Peter Weibel]], the Vasulkas curated ''Eigenwelt der Apparate-Welt: Pioneers of Electronic Art'' for [[Ars Electronica]], [[Linz]] in 1992. In 1993 Woody received a Soros Foundation fellowship to lecture and present work throughout Eastern Europe; and becomes a visiting professor at the Faculty of Art, Polytechnic Institute, [[Brno]]. 1995 Siemens Media Art Prize at the Multimediale 4. Steina has taught at the Academy for Applied Arts, [[Vienna]], the Institute for New Media at the Staedelschule, [[Frankfurt]], and the College of Arts and Crafts, [[Reykjavik]]. | 1992 American Film Institute Maya Deren Award. Under a commission from [[Peter Weibel]], the Vasulkas curated ''Eigenwelt der Apparate-Welt: Pioneers of Electronic Art'' for [[Ars Electronica]], [[Linz]] in 1992. In 1993 Woody received a Soros Foundation fellowship to lecture and present work throughout Eastern Europe; and becomes a visiting professor at the Faculty of Art, Polytechnic Institute, [[Brno]]. 1995 Siemens Media Art Prize at the Multimediale 4. Steina has taught at the Academy for Applied Arts, [[Vienna]], the Institute for New Media at the Staedelschule, [[Frankfurt]], and the College of Arts and Crafts, [[Reykjavik]]. | ||
Revision as of 13:56, 6 March 2012
Pioneers of video art, having practiced in the genre since its early days in the late 1960s.
Steina (Steinunn Briem Bjarnadottir) was born 1940 in Reykjavík. Studied languages and music at the music conservatory in Prague.
Woody was born 1937 in Brno. He studied at the School of Industrial Engineering in Brno (-1956) and television and film production at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.
They met in the early 1960s, married in 1964, and 1965 emigrated to New York where Steina worked as a freelance musician, and Woody as a film editor. Contact with the cinema enabled him to experiment with electronic sound and the stroboscopic projection of moving images. Using a 16 mm Pathe camera, he captured images at 360º, projecting them onto different screens to create three-dimensional sound and light environments. In 1969 they start to experiment with electronic media and produce a pioneering body of tapes, investigating the narrative, syntactical and metaphorical potential of electronic imaging. He first came into contact with the electronic video work through the exhibition TV as a Creative Medium, which took place in New York in 1969 and featured work by Nam June Paik, Frank Gillette, Ira Scheider and Eric Siegel.
In 1971 they founded The Kitchen. 1974 moved to Buffalo, New York with its Experimental TV Studio and experimented with the camera as an autonomous imaging instrument in what would become the Machine Vision series. 1981 moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico and continued their work in video, media performance, and video installation. Woody's development of an expressive image-language began as a rigorous deconstruction of the materiality of the electronic signal, and has evolved to the application of imaging codes and digital manipulation to narrative strategies and a series of interactive installations in the 1990s.
1992 American Film Institute Maya Deren Award. Under a commission from Peter Weibel, the Vasulkas curated Eigenwelt der Apparate-Welt: Pioneers of Electronic Art for Ars Electronica, Linz in 1992. In 1993 Woody received a Soros Foundation fellowship to lecture and present work throughout Eastern Europe; and becomes a visiting professor at the Faculty of Art, Polytechnic Institute, Brno. 1995 Siemens Media Art Prize at the Multimediale 4. Steina has taught at the Academy for Applied Arts, Vienna, the Institute for New Media at the Staedelschule, Frankfurt, and the College of Arts and Crafts, Reykjavik.
They live in Santa Fe.
Works
Bibliography
- Vasulka Lab 1969-2005, Birmingham: VIVID, 2006. Features the Vasulkas in conversation with Don Foresta, essays by Chris Meigh-Andrews and Yasmeen Baig-Clifford.
