MCCALL

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Before this this assignment and going to this exhibition I never heard of Anthony Mccall. Before, I never thought that one line or one circle can have such a peculiar effect. Before, I never thought about projection other then just being a projection on a wall. Before going into the exhibition and Masterclass, I tried to prepare myself as thoroughly as possible into the texts that we had to read in order to understand the basis of Mccall’s work. This is why I felt that during his own presentation and the discussion that was held during the Masterclass there wasn’t a lot of new information. His work is not as in depth as people seemed it wanting to be. It has a meaning, but it’s clear and simple.
Simple, yet powerful.
The one thing I kept repeating over and over whilst walking through the exhibition was the fact that it was so simple. Not simple, just simple. Simple in an astonishing way. How can something that is made out of a basic figure, have such an effect?
Then you can regard that and say it is the smoke, it is the solid and in solid paradox of the light. Yes, this is all very important of course, but the most prominent thing to me is like Mccall puts it: duration. The experience is different every time because the films last for long periods, a sculpture figure is not immediately met in his complete form, it takes time to become that form. Next to that it is in an environment with other people who respond differently according to the time and the position they hold. They influence the reflection of light in the duration of the film.
Time makes everything an experience.
During Mccalls presentation he mentioned that even a piece of paper has a duration. Time moves whilst people regard this piece of paper, individually or as a group. This makes the idea of a ‘still standing object’ not as ‘still’ as it might seem. In his solid light project this duration comes back not only in the completion of the figures but also in the fog that visualizes the beams. Everything moves with time and has a certain duration before it dissolves and evolves in new fog.
The breathing of duration.
The breathing of time in the image of the figure but also in its context, that’s what makes the projects so striking. After the 20 year silent period in the aftermath of making the first solid light films in the 70’s, Mccall realized this breathing symbolizes immortality. Immortality of life and bodies. These things are touched at the basis with his standard, most basic of formations.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________