Art is a mind-altering substance. Certainly, in its creation, but even as an observer, viewing, hearing, experiencing a work of art impacts the mind whether consciously or not. The ways art is made and the ways in which it is defined and understood are always in flux, although we are living in a time when this process is perhaps more readily apparent than most. Offgrid, by Kutiman (Ophir Kutiel), the musician and video artist, is the latest work in his Thru You series begun in 2009, a mesmerizing mash-up whose raw material is YouTube clips.
Anyone can upload a video to YouTube, and everyone with access to the internet can also download. The fascinating aspect of Kutiman’s Thru You project is his ability to create a musical collage composed of these short, discrete, samples, orchestrating connections between unrelated clips to form a coherent, compelling, work. It’s a form of found sound art, reminiscent of Christian Marclay’s The Clock, a 24 hour collage of film clips, all centered on the theme of time and arranged to correspond to the passage of time in the work.
Offgrid is Kutiman’s first museum exhibit, currently showing at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Offgrid is 38 minutes and 6 seconds long, composed of over a hundred video clips. The work is on exhibit in a dark room fitted with three monitors on each of its four walls, with the video separated into several channels and shown in a dynamic way on the different monitors, offering multiple options for viewing and experiencing the work. Visitors may walk through the space or relax on one of the four huge, comfy ottomans, choosing their perspective. While there is not a single narrative that leads one through the work, as one listens, different motifs are developed. The free jazz composition is augmented by visuals created for the video by Kutiman, the effect is a psychedelic journey in sound and color.
Depending on the point in the work at which one enters, there may be a quiet, reflective interlude, with a single instrument playing, or alternatively, one might walk into a room of cacophonous, dissonant, and very loud sound. Not everyone will connect to Offgrid. Some may find the shifting bright screens too visually disruptive. Some will be disconcerted by the open structure of the work and lack of easily coherent musical narrative. The viewer is invited to enter this space and spend some time there, to experience this trip, wherever it may take you.
Note that at the entrance, there is a video monitor mounted on the wall where all the source videos for offgrid are shown in a loop, as is, each one full length, with headphones for listening. It’s interesting to compare these original videos, posted by anonymous YouTube users, with Kutiman’s Offgrid.
Offgrid Offline is curated by Tal Lanir, and will be on display at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art through January 7, 2017. Consult the Tel Aviv Museum of Art website for additional information and visiting hours.
