Single Channel

Overview

Drawn from the national collection, Single Channel brings together moving image works of art from 2000 to 2019 by some of Australia's most nationally and internationally significant artists.

The works consider notions of identity in powerful, unexpected, and mesmerising ways. Focusing on works by First Nations and Australian artists, the exhibition includes work by Tony Albert, Destiny Deacon and Virginia Fraser collaboration, Silvana and Gabriella Mangano, Club Até, Shaun Gladwell and Tracey Moffatt.

This diverse selection of artists employs the medium of video to draw attention to the human body as it moves through time and space. The works encourage inquiry about the variety of ways that artists use the body in motion to communicate and tell stories, express their identity, interact with their environment, engage with political issues and contribute to social change.

Each of the six works in Single Channel is supported by:

• a relevant quote from the artist, centring the artist’s voice and providing context for their practice.
• provocations to encourage observation and analysis of visual conventions, as well as discussion and reflection around cultural references and artistic intentions.
• creative making prompts provide opportunities for students to connect the concepts of each work of art to their own life and interests while exploring the possibilities of different materials, processes and techniques, including a variety of approaches to the medium of moving image.

This learning resource is aligned with the Australian Curriculum and is designed for:

• Secondary school students, but may be adapted for use with other year levels.
• Visual Arts students, but also has relevance for Media Arts and English students.

This resource may be used to:

• complement a visit to the Single Channel Touring Exhibition
• complement a Single Channel Digital Excursion
• inform a series of classroom lessons
• support research into individual artists or themes

Consider
"I never saw skin colour as a factor. I was pleased that one was a boy and one was a girl, because it’s good to have a mixture, but they were my nephew and niece, and the most important thing about them was that they were four-year-olds and uncontrollable, and fitted into the idea of being forced into images. It amazes me that people see them as black and white. That’s just part of being Aborigine. We come in different shades. He’s black as well. It’s not an issue."

Destiny Deacon

• What themes or concepts are highlighted in this quote from Destiny Deacon?
• How does this insight into the artists’ intentions influence your understanding of the video Forced into images?

Look

• Pay attention to the moments and transitions within the video as the children respond to different off-camera directions from the artists. Note down some key words to describe the range of emotions and interactions that you observe.
• Are there any moments that particularly stood out to you, or that relate to your own childhood?

Consider

• What role does video and photography play in your life?
• Have you ever felt forced into an image? What are some of the ways that the title Forced into images could be interpreted in relation to Destiny Deacon and Virginia Fraser’s video?
• Are there times in your life that you have literally or metaphorically worn a mask, and what purpose did it serve? Why do you think the artists decided to incorporate masks into their video Forced into images? How does the use of masks affect the behaviour and perception of the children in this work of art?
• Why do you think the artists decided not to include sound?

Create

• Use photo collage to create a mask that conceals or alters your physical appearance while revealing an aspect of your identity. Consider how your mask might connect you or differentiate you from your biological or chosen family.
• Feel free to cut and paste found or photocopied imagery or use digital software to layer and manipulate images before printing and completing your mask.
• Use video or photography to document yourself wearing your mask. Then experiment with how new meanings and experiences are created by exchanging masks with friends or family. Work together to conceive and create a collaborative work of art that incorporates your masks.

Consider

“The idea … was to really look at the way that things that I was involved in were represented in pop culture, things like BMX bike riding or skateboarding, even to an extent graffiti art, and there was always this kind of way that these activities were presented on television and now of course on the internet, and that is a very fast and furious, a very energetic way. The way that they’re edited is through jump-cuts and furious soundtracks – it’s what I call the MTV logic, but for me that doesn’t represent the entire experience of these activities.”

Shaun Gladwell

• What themes or concepts are highlighted in this quote from Shaun Gladwell?
• How does this insight into the artist’s intentions influence your understanding of the video Storm sequence?

Look

• What camera techniques has Shaun Gladwell used in his video Storm sequence? How do these visual choices affect your feelings towards the activity of skateboarding?
• Jot down some words to describe the specific kinds of movement that you can observe in Storm sequence.

Consider

• Considering that the artist is the skateboarder in Storm sequence, what do you think this work of art says about the role of skateboarding in his life? Is there an activity that plays a similar role in your life?
• When he made Storm sequence Shaun “was interested in the tradition of Romantic landscape painting”.[1]. Research the British painter J.M.W. Turner and the 18th – 19th Century art movement Romanticism. What ideas from Romantic landscape painting are relevant to Shaun’s work, and how does he bring a fresh perspective to these ideas?

Create

• What is a physical activity that is part of your life, but which you wouldn’t usually think about in terms of art? For example, a sport, game, form of communication or daily task.
• When you break it down, what are the movements involved in your chosen activity? How would you describe the quality of those movements and the energy or intention behind them? Where does your chosen activity usually take place?
• Experiment with altering the direction, speed, repetition, or intention behind these movements. Or try performing the movements in a different setting.
• Document your movement experiments in a 1-minute video using basic camera techniques to bring a fresh perspective to your chosen activity.

[1] Shaun Gladwell, National Visual Arts Education Conference 2014

Consider

‘In encounters with eerie inhumans we witness yearnings, complexities and utopias that resist forces of surveillance and demolition. It is no coincidence that the creatures we have been taught to hate are racialised and gendered. Yet these same creatures teach us how to reformulate kinship in ethical, non-violent ways.’

Club Até

• What themes or concepts are highlighted in this quote from Club Até?
• How does this insight into the artists’ intentions influence your understanding of the video Ex Nilalang (Dyesebel)?

Look

• How would you describe the mood or atmosphere of Club Até's video Ex Nilalang (Dyesebel)? What are some of the audio and visual elements and approaches, that contribute to this mood or atmosphere?
• In what ways do the three figures (including Club Até artist Bhenji Ra) move and interact with each other and with the camera?
• How would you describe the characterisation of the figures?

Consider

• Justin Shoulder and Bhenji Ra, of Club Até, share Filipino heritage. Dyesebel is a popular mermaid character from a Filipino comic book and TV series. Where did you first encounter mermaid or siren characters? What do mermaids represent for you?
• Nilalang means both ‘to create’ and ‘creature.’ How and why do you think Club Até use mythological creatures to explore and represent of their bi-cultural queer identities?
• In what ways might Ex Nilalang (Dyesebel) contribute to social change or influence attitudes towards LGBTIQA+ communities?

Create

• Is there a character or story from mythology, popular culture, or your own cultural heritage that you relate to, or identify with?
• Research your chosen character and consider how it could be updated or adapted to represent an aspect of your own identity or life experiences. What might this character communicate about who you are, where you’ve come from or where you see yourself in the future?
• Brainstorm ways to make creative reference to your chosen character using devices such as point of view, location, props, costume, or lighting.
• Consider the potential of video portraiture to convey ideas of transformation, shape-shifting or hybridity.
• Outline your concept for a video portrait by creating a character design, storyboard and mood-board.

Consider

‘… ‘I am Visible’ is really representing the visibility and, in turn, invisibility of Aboriginal people, whether that be through the media, through what we read, through what we see, I play with that tension…’

'A target takes away any invisibility—it highlights presence. My practice is about optimism in the face of adversity’ and ‘it’s about engaging in a conversation about making this country a better place.’

Tony Albert

• What themes or concepts are highlighted in these quotes from Tony Albert?
• How does this insight into the artist’s intentions influence your understanding of the video I am Visible?

Look

• What are some of the visual elements that Tony Albert brings together in I am Visible?
• What are some of the ways that Tony Albert has utilised or combined video and animation, and to what effect?
• What are some of the symbols, images or cultural references that you can see in I am Visible. Which of these symbols or references are most familiar or meaningful for you?
• How would you describe the body language of the young men in I am Visible?

Consider

• What meanings might ‘targets’, or concentric circles represent? What meanings are created by the placement of the target symbol on the human body in I am Visible?
• What does ‘representation’ mean to you? In what ways do or don’t you relate to your favourite role models, public figures or fictional characters? Can you relate to the idea of seeing yourself represented on screen? What social issues might arise when some groups of people are over or underrepresented in the media and popular culture?
• How does this work of art relate to the Black Lives Matter movement? In what ways do you think Tony Albert’s I am Visible might contribute to social change?

Create

• What is a social issue that you care about and why? How have you seen or connected with this issue in the media, popular culture or art?
• What symbols do you associate with your chosen issue? Are there other images, words or colours that you could incorporate in a creative response to encourage thought, conversation or action around your chosen issue?
• Use a stop motion animation app to create a short, approx. 10 second video that makes a personal comment on your chosen issue.
• Your stop motion video can incorporate your choice of materials, such as hand drawn elements, cut paper, text, modelling clay or everyday objects. Focus on keeping your camera stationary and making small changes or shifts within each frame to achieve a smooth animation.

Consider

“In traditional Aboriginal culture everyone was an artist, you know, no-one wasn't an artist, so I think my confidence since I was a kid in my play with backyard photography and so on, and my make believe and set up, confidence comes from that.”

Tracey Moffatt

“We live in an age now where anyone can grab anything and turn it into anything... You’ve got to have access to the images and you’ve got to have a sense of where your beginning and where your end is, and what you’re doing it for.”

Gary Hillberg

• What concepts are highlighted, and what questions are raised, by these quotes from Tracey Moffatt and collaborator Gary Hillberg?
• How or where do you experience or interact with art and artists? What are some of the personal or cultural influences that have shaped your ideas about art and artists?

Look

• What types of settings and roles do you see repeated in Artist? Jot down some key words that might help you to categorise these elements into themes.
• How would you describe the experience of watching Artist? What narrative arch does this work of art convey to you?
• What impact does the soundtrack have on your experience of this work of art?

Consider

• Montage is a French term meaning ‘assembling shots’ or ‘putting together.’ Why do you think Moffatt and Hillberg chose to utilise this editing technique to create Artist?
• A trope is a common or over-used theme, also known as a cliché. What are some of the tropes that stand out most to you when watching Artist? In what ways do Moffatt and Hillberg use tropes to comical or critical effect?
• What does Artist reveal about the ways that art and artists are portrayed in popular culture? What is missing? How do you think these portrayals relate to the reality of being an artist?

Create

• Do you know someone with a career that interests or inspires you, or whose job you don’t understand? Take the time to conduct an interview to find out what, how and why they do their work. Compare what you’ve learnt with any preconceptions you had before conducting the interview.
• Take your reflections on your interviewee’s career further by using your impressions and learnings as a starting point your own collage, montage or remix. Consider how and why you can combine and reconfigure found images or sound. For example, your work of art might help to challenge stereotypes associated with a particular kind of work, or it could honour an experience or motivation shared by your interviewee.

Consider

“Our video performances evolve through our interest in experimenting with notions of drawing. We evoke the sensibility of drawing through immediacy, movement, repetition and sound.”

“The performances are intuitive and improvised, relying on a silent exchange and mutual understanding between us. The video performances become a visual documentation of the live performance. Duration and time play important roles in the work. Repetition is used to distort time, allowing the audience to be lulled into cyclic movements and rhythms.”

Gabriella Mangano and Silvana Mangano

• What themes or concepts are highlighted in these quotes from twin sisters and artistic collaborators Gabriella and Silvana Mangano?
• How does this insight into the artists’ intentions influence your understanding of the video Drawing 1?

Look

• How do the two performers communicate with each other? Can you tell who is leading the drawing, and what do you see that makes you say that?
• How would you describe the type and variety of movement that you see in Drawing 1? Consider scale, timing, repetition and how these elements evolve throughout the work.
• How would you describe the sounds that you can hear in Drawing 1?

Consider

• What role does drawing play in your life? Work with a partner to brainstorm ideas for how we might define drawing. How does the dictionary definition of drawing relate to the definitions and experiences shared by your class?
• In what ways does Gabriella and Silvana Mangano’s approach to drawing affirm or challenge your pre-existing ideas and definitions? What questions does their work raise?
• Imagine that you are one of the performers in Drawing 1. What physical and psychological sensations might you experience? What preparation might be required?
• What are some experimental drawing techniques that you could invent and attempt?

Create

• What is a game that you enjoy playing and why? How do the rules of that game allow for improvisation, unexpected outcomes, or individual approaches?
• Collaborate with a partner to create and test a series of rules to guide your own experimental drawing process or performance. Consider how you could explore the idea of line or mark-making beyond the page.
• Aim to create rules that provide a starting point for collaboration, while making sure to incorporate space and opportunities for improvisation, chance, and non-verbal communication.
• Discuss how you might work together to document your drawing process or performance, for example through video, time-lapse photography, or preservation of the drawing itself.