Jeff Wall

I was very interested to listen to photographer Jeff Wall when he was in town. He spoke to a packed house at the Art Institute in June. His large format, mostly color photos have an instant quality to them that belies the staging that generally go into the production.


Having spent a lifetime listening to silver gelatin-wielding friends, it was somewhat terrifying to realize just how much isn't covered in that discussion space. Large format is, from Wall's perspective partly about getting the size of the image to match the size of the original. I like that: my picture is in the 5-6 foot range, not the 8"x10" normally so popular for headshots. Imagine the look on the casting director's face when she unfolds that! Or perhaps you have the item delivered with a truck (look, no creases). Ok, kidding aside, this was an intersting viewpoint that really makes me think.

He discussed the role that critics play in helping the rest of us examine and understand his works. Clearly, he's not a fan of critics. But then he went on to explain when they got it right, for example when pieces of his reference other art works in different media. How his pieces might recreate a scene he has witnessed, how that recreation might change the event itself. He also discussed the differences in approach when planning for a light box presentation v. a hardcopy print using ink jet or other printing approaches.

His approach helped clarify something I've been discussing in terms of artistic voice. How could I render a drawing of a flower, then photograph it, write a poem and sing about it and finally present a dance on the subject. Can I present a compelling personal artistic voice so that another person might say, "that dance reminds me of that song"?

What is the relationship between performative formats? How can dance be like song? Is my crisp movement used to indicate strongly delineated articulation, say a step from right to left (think Twyla Tharp) similar to producing a vocal tone that is also strongly articulated (attention being paid to stop/start, clearness of pitch)? Yes. When a choreographer chooses the sounds to create the sonic portion of a dance piece, she chooses deliberately. Alvin Ailey's Revelations series is costumed with traditional looking clothing referencing, though not reproducing the look of the 18th or 19th century. The music used is choral gospel music. The lighting is bright colors with dramatic contrasts. All of these design elements help deliver the message in the choreography itself.

Where am I headed? Production elements are used to build a complex, unified voice. If executed well enough, that voice can be discovered across performative disciplines and the plastic arts. Sondheim's "Sunday in the Park with George" can reference Georges-Pierre Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. But another artist might want to tackle both a painting and a tone poem or another dyptich of cross reference to enrich the final experience and exploration.