Virtual Moving History: The Video Artwork of Doris Chase, Part 2 - January 10, 2021

VIRTUAL MOVING HISTORY:
The Video Artwork of Doris Chase, Part 2
Sunday, January 10, 2021
4:30pm PST

** VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED: Nearly all of these films contain rapidly flashing images and colors which could potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. **

Much of Chase’s video art incorporates multiple distinct video effect perspectives and film exposures, processed and recombined through a variety of analog and digital treatments to become beautifully kaleidoscopic works. Her exploration of her practice led from painting, to sculpture, to large-scale public artworks (some of which are now Seattle landmarks), with detours in several other mediums along the way. As she ultimately discovered a new iteration of her artistic voice in video art, she entered into remarkable collaborations with video engineer Steve Rutt, choreographer Mary Staton, and others, creating several memorable, pioneering works in the field before her passing in 2008.

Rocking Orange (1970-71, 3.5 min) — In another collaboration with Mary Staton, obelisk-esque hollow forms rock back and forth as they are shoved, lounged upon, spun, and gently rocked by dancers. Color editions of the dance are once again staggered and overlapped, with the obelisks posed up- and downstage to exaggerate the depth of the composition.

Circles II (1972, 8 min) — No two ways about it – this video is utterly wonderful. Dancers and their multicolored reiterations run in joyful circles, slowly cartwheel through space, and pirouette and pose within large sections of cylinders fabricated by Chase. As the number of film exposures and interactions between them reaches peak density, the film segues into a mandala format, filming dancers from above and mirroring their movements to create a marvelous symmetry.

Tall Arches (1974, 7 min) — Several monochromatic recordings of the same dance performance are staggered and overlaid with one another, accentuating Mary Staton’s languid, ludic choreography. The dancers interact with fluidly movable sculptures designed by Chase, whose nesting-doll character is accentuated both by the choreography and Chase’s color separation technique. Accompanied by a synthesized soundtrack by Vito Ricci.

Full Circle (1974, 9.5 min) — For the benefit of newcomers to her work, this brief artist profile of Chase traces the arc of her artistic practice from her period of wooden sculpture to her collaborative video art and dance pieces of the ‘70s. As her compositions grow from hand-worked wooden maquettes into 4-ton steel sculptures, she confidently adapts to the pragmatic material demands of her artwork. Her large-scale sculptures caught the attention of choreographer Mary Staton, with whom she collaborated to produce a sculpture-assisted dance for the Seattle Opera company. “I like to work with the choreographer, to a degree, in suggesting how the forms might work, might form as an aesthetic whole or sculpture – and then, of course, I leave them to their own devices. … I create the form in the beginning, and then they transcend it with their motion and their change – and then of course I have to have the last word in putting it on tape and film.”

Moon Gates (1974, 6 min) — Bringing together all of the signature elements of Chase’s dance films – symmetry, geometry, body-scale sculptures as props, interplays of hue, solarization, and multiple exposure – Moon Gates’ captivating flow of color and motion positively vibrates with the energy of its designer, hovering between extravagance and balance. (MIPoPS Communication Manager Paul’s personal favorite!)

Dance Nine (1975, 9 min) — Lanky and liquid in his style, Gus Solomons Jr. performs a marionette-like dance in empty video space, accompanied by a linear background animation with its own frenetic footwork. Dance Nine is simultaneously stark, humorous, and endearing.

Dance Eleven (1975, 7.5 min) — This dance makes use of a favorite technique of Chase’s: individually de-beaming the red, green, and/or blue color signals to create dramatic color trails. Chase’s intention was to capture the unique character and strength of ballerina Cynthia Anderson, who was only a teenager at the time of this recording. Paired with a moody, evocative soundtrack by the great Laurie Spiegel, Dance Eleven inspires meditations on the aura of youth, the embodiment of emotion, and impressions that we leave as we move through the world.

Introduction to Doris Chase Sculpture Series 1974–1984 (1984, 7.5 min) — This miniature video portfolio is a strong expression of the intersection of Chase’s sculptural practice with her video art. As insistent rhythms center viewers’ attention, a series of dramatically lit sculptures by Chase are processed using different video synthesis techniques, creating an unexpectedly seamless blend of the two mediums. Interstitial elements of purely synthetic video augment the series.