New Video Work From Tim Tate

Newest Video Project

I was recently advised by a spectacular gallery that while they loved the video reliquary pieces, I should consider doing important work. No offense was meant, and in response I have decided to take that advice to heart with this next project. Important or not…it is a show without constrictions. I did that by separating glass and video for this project. My fascination with miniaturizing still worked for the glass part of my brain…..but the video part of my brain had to abandon glass temporarily. It was the scale of glass that held me back.

In the summer of 2013 I will be presenting an all video exhibit at Washington, DC’s American University’s Katzen Art Center. In one of the rooms I will be presenting an updated version of my video installation “The Waking Dreams Of Magdelena Moliere”. Magdelena is a fictitious character whom you get to know and understand thru her dreams. You enter her world by passing through the portals of shadow and light. These are the pieces I have been working on these last several months.

The portals of shadow and light flank each side of the entrance to Magdelena’s room. They consist of 2 vertical flat video screens with ornate regency frames, one painted a satin black, the other a soft cream. Each is approximately 3 ft by 4ft.

Inside the cream colored Portal Of Light I have a video of slowly roiling clouds surrounded by soft blue electricity. Into this scene drops 3 plumb bobs at different speeds and heights continually unwinding from above , chaotic at first, then finding balance and ascending again.

Inside the satin black Portal Of Shadow I have a video of roiling smoke surrounded by small slow flames. Inside that an image of a glass vase floats up from the bottom and smashes against the top of the video screen into many pieces, which slowly reassemble and descend again to darkness.

If the videos do not work below in this posting, they can be seen on my facebook page under videos.

I find these portals extremely compelling. They have the look and feel of a Victorian painting, while incorporating new media to depict the narrative inherent in the video portals. I plan on investigating this format many times over the next few years.