Past is Prologue: Three Readings; Camera, Tape, and Sound

Description:

Past is Prologue was a series that invited artists, writers, curators, and critics to produce a new work using Western Front’s archive as a critical point of departure. 

For the inaugural event, Michael Turner was invited to research largely unseen video documentation of literary readings that took place at Western Front in the 1970s and 1980s. His research culminated in the screening Three Readings: Camera, Tape, and Sound, and an accompanying essay. The screening featured archival documentation of Kathy Acker reading from The Adult Life of Toulouse Lautrec in 1977; bpNichol and Steve McCaffery performing Aupe Relationships in 1977; and Kevin Davies, as introduced by George Bowering, reading from Exhibit A in 1983.

Moderated by Turner, Three Readings focused on how each reading was mediated—specifically through the camera, the audio recording, and the qualities of archival video tape. 

The event closed with a question and answer period and a casual discussion with the audience.

Documents:

• Three Readings: Camera, Tape, and Sound (2011). Text by Michael Turner.