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If really asked to speak, many viewers of
the Jochen Gerz show at the Vancouver Art Gal-
lery might express dismay upon first touring the
exhibit. Overwhelmed by the number of works
included and compounded by the volume of text
to be read, viewers are provided with a definite
challenge in this world dominated by fifteen
second sound bytes and an ever diminishing
attention span. Gerz attempts to slow us down
in order to make us more aware of the ordinary
events that occur on a daily basis and he often
relates these to the passage of time.

Originally a writer in Berlin in the early 60s
Gerz did not begin to combine his text with pho-
tographs until 1968, which explains the ap-
proach he has chosen to take. In some of his
works the photographs are set up to be read like
text in that they record the passage of time, and
thus the quality of the photos reflects the prior-
ity which he places on subject matter over tech-
nical ability. This is evident in Giving Water
and Piece For 1,2,3,4 where he has docu-
mented a series of observations and then added
a narrative reading of them in order to reclaim
them and imbibe them with new meaning. In
his early works, Gerz used the text and photos
to substantiate each other but by 1973 they were
no longer necessarily working in conjunction,
and sometimes even acted in opposition. In Le

Grand Amour #1 and Le Grand Amour #2 ©

this technique is used to speak about a series of
relationships that may or may not have occurred
with a variety of women and is contrasted to
the singular relationship that he had with his
dying mother. This is also evidence that Gerz
has an interest in raising questions with his work

GERZ.-

rather than providing any answers. The thought
provoking nature of his work is very important, ~
although the presentation leaves room for the
criticism that this could have been assembled
in book form. However, whether or not book
form would have made the work more accessi-
ble is questionable.

The Answer illustrates Gerz’s reaction to
his first American teaching experience at the
University of California, where he felt there was
an American obsession with presenting images
over substance. By posing the same (unstated)
question to each of the students that he photo-
graphed, he was then able to present the stu-
dent’s own image, in the form of text, next to
his image of them. One of the more moving
pieces in this show is the documentation for
2146 Monument Against Racism, a project
undertaken in Saarbrucken as a hidden memo-
rial to the Jews who have died in Germany. Per-
haps inspired by his experience of growing up
through the second world war or his marriage
to an Israeli woman, the daughter of Holocaust
survivors, this memorial started out as a secret
project but was eventually made public and al-
lowed to remain after much debate. It is well
placed next to Paul M, a humourous recount-
ing of the discovery by a returning vacationer
that the photos he receives are not from his trip.
The arrangement of the photos and the.ques-
tions raised by Paul illustrate how we allow tech-
nology to actually supplant our own memories,
and the photos eventually become Paul’s trip.

The issue of technology is also explored in
The Smoking, where technology (in this case a
camera) gives out before the artist and To Cry
Until Exhaustion, where the artist breaks down
while the video camera continues to function,
undisturbed by the loss of the performer. The
most interesting piece exploring this idea is
Purple Cross For Absent Now, a performance
where the relationship between the artist and
the audience is mediated through the use of
technology (a closed circuit camera). The reac-
tion of the viewer demonstrates the power that
technology holds over us in that it can mesmer-
ize us into either a state of belief or disbelief.

While PEOPLE SPEAK may appear to be a
difficult show in terms of comprehension, or sim-
ply due to the tedious nature of having to read
all of the text it is probably worth a second lis-
ten in order to enhance our own appreciation
of daily experiences. PEOPLE SPEAK continues
to converse until November 28 and there is no
admission charge on Thursday evenings. Grati-
tude is extended to curator Gary Dufour for his
informative tour.

PEOPLE SPEAK
JOCHEN
Tod McNab

GERZ

If really asked to speak, many viewers of
the Jochen Gerz show at the Vancouver Art Gal-
lery might express dismay upon first touring the
exhibit. Overwhelmed by the number of works
included and compounded by the volume of text
to be read, viewers are provided with a definite
challenge in this world dominated by fifteen
second sound bytes and an ever diminishing
attention span. Gerz attempts to slow us down
in order to make us more aware of the ordinary
events that occur on a daily basis and he often
relates these to the passage of time.

Originally a writer in Berlin in the early 60s
Gerz did not begin to combine his text with pho-
tographs until 1968, which explains the ap-
proach he has chosen to take. In some of his
works the photographs are set up to be read like
text in that they record the passage of time, and
thus the quality of the photos reflects the prior-
ity which he places on subject matter over tech-
nical ability. This is evident in Giving Water
and Piece For 1,2,3,4 where he has docu-
mented a series of observations and then added
a narrative reading of them in order to reclaim
them and imbibe them with new meaning. In
his early works, Gerz used the text and photos
to substantiate each other but by 1973 they were
no longer necessarily working in conjunction,
and sometimes even acted in opposition. In Le
Grand Amour #1 and Le Grand Amour #2
this technique is used to speak about a series of
relationships that may or may not have occurred
with a variety of women and is contrasted to
the singular relationship that he had with his
dying mother. This is also evidence that Gerz
has an interest in raising questions with his work

rather than providing any answers. The thought
provoking nature of his work is very important,
although the presentation leaves room for the
criticism that this could have been assembled
in book form. However, whether or not book
form would have made the work more accessi-
ble is questionable.

The Answer illustrates Gerz’s reaction to
his first American teaching experience at the
University of California, where he felt there was
an American obsession with presenting images
over substance. By posing the same (unstated)
question to each of the students that he photo-
graphed, he was then able to present the stu-
dent’s own image, in the form of text, next to
his image of them. One of the more moving
pieces in this show is the documentation for
fh i , a project
undertaken in Saarbrucken as a hidden memo-
rial to the Jews who have died in Germany. Per-
haps inspired by his experience of growing up
through the second world war or his marriage
to an Israeli woman, the daughter of Holocaust
survivors, this memorial started out as a secret
project but was eventually made public and al-
lowed to remain after much debate. It is well
placed next to Paul M, a humourous recount-
ing of the discovery by a returning vacationer
that the photos he receives are not from his trip.
The arrangement of the photos and the.ques-
tions raised by Paul illustrate how we allow tech-
nology to actually supplant our own memories,
and the photos eventually become Paul’s trip.

The issue of technology is also explored in
The Smoking, where technology (in this case a
camera) gives out before the artist and To Cry
Until Exhaustion, where the artist breaks down
while the video camera continues to function,
undisturbed by the loss of the performer. The
most interesting piece exploring this idea is

, a performance
where the relationship between the artist and
the audience is mediated through the use of
technology (a closed circuit camera). The reac-
tion of the viewer demonstrates the power that
technology holds over us in that it can mesmer-
ize us into either a state of belief or disbelief.

While PEOPLE SPEAK may appear to be a
difficult show in terms of comprehension, or sim-
ply due to the tedious nature of having to read
all of the text it is probably worth a second lis-
ten in order to enhance our own appreciation
of daily experiences. PEOPLE SPEAK continues
to converse until November 28 and there is no
admission charge on Thursday evenings. Grati-
tude is extended to curator Gary Dufour for his
informative tour.