Video Rainbows
Research Statement
Research Background
This research-based exhibition, which I led and co-curated with Andrea Rassell, investigates video shops as cultural access points that informed experimental video practice. It explores these spaces as sites of exchange and culture jamming, where circulating videos built critical engagement and DIY film literacy. Situated within media-arts and curatorial research, it draws on theories of informal cultural infrastructure to frame video shops as relational sites of knowledge exchange. The project connects Melbourne Media Arts histories to contemporary Western Australian artists, highlighting local expressions of film and video culture through new, contextually engaged works.
Research Contribution
This exhibition contributes new knowledge about the relationship between video shop histories and contemporary video art across regions. It synthesises informal distribution and culture-jamming histories with new WA works, generating fresh interpretations of local art culture. Interactive public programs re-created aspects of video-shop social culture. By recontextualising these histories through collaborative curatorial practice, the research demonstrates how artists draw on popular cultural spaces to inform their work.
Research Significance
Research excellence is evidenced through presentation at two recognised art venues, namely Old Customs House (WA) and Testing Grounds (VIC), selected through peer review. The inclusion of fourteen national artists and invited researcher Dr Jessie Scott demonstrates national reach and professional peer assessment. By foregrounding social histories of video shops and their influence on video art, the work demonstrates curatorial research rigour and contributes to understanding how informal cultural infrastructures shape practice.
Keywords
video shops, video art, curatorial research, media arts, culture jamming, diy film literacy, informal cultural infrastructure, knowledge exchange, moving image culture, contemporary Australian art
Non-Traditional Research Output
Curated Exhibition or Event
Document Type
Non-Traditional Research Output
Date of Publication
2024
School
School of Education / Cenre for People, Place and Planet
RAS ID
88315
Links and/or Documentation
Event Dates
20th July – 31st August, 2024
Event Venue
PS Art Space / Old Customs House / Ode to Sirens – Fremantle, WA; Testing Grounds – Melbourne, VIC
Performers
Philip Brophy (VIC) | Erin Coates (WA) | Arie Glorie (VIC) | Ian Haig (VIC) | Anna Nazzari (WA) | Xanthe Dobbie (VIC) | Dominic Redfern (VIC) | Diego Ramirez (VIC) | Cassandra Tytler (WA) | Andrea Rassell (WA) | Corey Khan (WA) | Emile Zile (VIC) | Ellen Broadhurst & Tom | Rogers (WA & VIC)
Recommended Citation
Tytler, C., Rassell, A. (2024). Video Rainbows. PS Art Space; Old Customs House; Ode to Sirens, Fremantle, WA; Testing Grounds, Melbourne, VIC.
Documentation Statement
This record presents a documented representation of the research output, including the research statement and associated contextual metadata. The creative work itself is not included. Where available, external links are provided to representations of the work.
Content Type
Documentation only
DOI Statement
The DOI refers to the repository metadata record only and serves as a documentation identifier.