Davidson Gigliotti
Davidson Gigliotti, “Hunter Mountain, 1973″. Installation view. Photo: Davidson Gigliotti.
In 1971, a video collective known as the Videofreex relocated to Maple Tree Farm in Lanesville, NY, a picturesque high valley situated within the Catskill mountains. The location was remarkable, and the filming activities commenced. It was soon uncovered that numerous early American artists had also plied their trade in these very mountains, including Thomas Cole, Asher Durand, Jasper Cropsey, among others.
During that era, a notable schism was evident within both the video community and the art community at large. It delineated a pronounced divide between the traditional art forms of yesteryears and the contemporary art emerging in 1970. Both conceptual art, which often advocated the complete abandonment of traditional art objects, and video art were considered unique and unprecedented. This period saw the emergence of various avant-garde movements like ‘body art,’ ‘earth art,’ ‘performance art,’ ‘art and language,’ and ‘arte povera.’ Prominent figures like Willoughby Sharp, Liza Bear, and the publication “Avalanche” contributed to the evolving landscape, as did influential critics and theorists such as Lucy Lippard, Arthur Danto, and Germano Celant. Some even predicted the demise of art as a whole, or in some cases, just the decline of painting. It seemed that the past was bidding adieu, echoing the sentiments of Graham Nash’s song, “Teach Your Children Well.” Marcel Duchamp‘s influence loomed large in this transformative period.
Yet, there remained a persistent curiosity about the established conventions of art that had endured for millennia. The question persisted: could there be a meaningful connection between video art and the traditional art forms they had studied in art school? This inquiry was not isolated; other individuals, including Frank Gillette, Beryl Korot, Mary Lucier, and even Bill Viola, were also exploring similar avenues.
For them, Hunter Mountain became one of the responses to this intriguing question. To this day, this piece retains its appeal. It provides a glimpse of the southern slope of Hunter Mountain, a sight visible from the rooftop of Maple Tree Farm, where the filming occurred.
Who is Davidson Gigliotti?
An original member of the alternative video collectives Videofreex and Media Bus, Davidson Gigliotti was one of video’s pioneers. In 1975 he became Director of Video at the Experimental Intermedia Foundation in New York, where he worked until 1987. His body of single-channel tapes and multi-channel video installations includes studies of urban and rural environments, in which he recreates the experience of place. He has also produced anthologies of the work of contemporary performance artists and musicians. Gigliotti was born in 1939. He attended the Rhode Island School of Design and New York University. Gigliotti has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and Creative Artists Public Service (CAPS). He was artist-in-residence at KTCA-TV, Minneapolis; Visual Studies Workshop, Rochestor; and WXXI-TV, Rochester, among other institutions. He is currently President of the Emily Harvey Foundation.