Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Super 8 is a collection of video art in multi-channel formats, selected by a peer-to-peer curatorial process. Eight artists from eight cities across the globe were invited to present their videos, and invited four other artists from their respective cities to join them.

At the point where long-held beliefs fall into decline and once-esteemed notions crumble, questions arise about those belief systems. It is at this point that John-Mark Ikeda begins his exploration of the current economic climate. Ikeda deconstructs the iconic business suit — which he equates with the failed economy — stripping it down to its component parts and pinning it to the wall like a specimen, with accompanying business accessories, in an attempt to reconstitute it as a symbol of power.

The rock band on the stage, the athlete on the soccer field, the politician at the podium — all command the attention of huge crowds, not to mention cameras. Audience as Subject, Part 2: Extra Large turns the lens back on the audience, exposing the dramatic and narrative potential of the crowd itself.

An engaging panel discussion featuring four speakers representing different perspectives on current artistic trends around audiences, spectators, and fans. Academics Henry Jenkins (University of Southern California) and Andrew Weiner (California College of the Arts), with artists Andrea Bowers and Tania Bruguera (via skype), examine issues of spectatorship in contemporary practice in an attempt to understand the individual’s behavior within environments of collective participation.