David Hall’s (1937-2014) creative legacy as a pioneer of video art in the UK is currently being explored through his works in sculpture, video, and film at London’s Richard Saltoun Gallery in an exhibition titled “Situations Envisaged.”Known as the “Godfather of British video art,” Hall made the first-ever artistic appearance on British television with his 10 “Interruptions” of 1971 (now known as “7 TV Pieces”). These clips were broadcast on Scottish television and were unannounced and uncredited. Today, these “Interruptions” stand as groundbreaking creative experiments and blazed the trail for his “60 TV Sets” — the first-ever multi-channel video installation shown in 1972 at the Goethe Institute.During his early career, Hall focused on techniques of minimalism owing to his study of sculpture. He advanced to create sculptures that were meant to be photographed or used in films, growing progressively more illusionistic. An early example includes his work included in the 1966 exhibition “Primary Structure” at the Jewish Museum in New York. His continued interest in minimalism can be seen in his later works through the geometric positioning of screens and monitors.The show borrows its exhibition title from the 15-monitor video installation first commissioned for “Video Positive ‘89” at Tate Liverpool named “A Situation Envisaged: The Rite II (Cultural Eclipse).” The work was, and continues to be, a feat of art, that will now enjoy a renewed interest through this robust survey of Hall’s work.“Situations Envisaged” will be on view through August 14 at Richard Saltoun in London.
↧