Final Presentation: Untitled by Wolfgang Staehle

Figure 1

Figure 1: "Wolfgang Staehle: Cooking @ Postmasters." Photograph. newsgrist Website, http://newsgrist.typepad.com/underbelly/2009/05/wolfgang-staehle-cooking-postmasters.html (accessed 17 Nov, 2013).

Untitled

2001

Video stills

10 feet x 25 feet (variable dimensions)

Introduction to the work

German artist Wolfgang Staehle use digital still live camera to create an artwork named untitled. The artist started to show the artwork in his exhibition called “2001” on September 6, 2001 to October 6, 2001 and he chooses three cities to setup the webcam. A castle-like monastery near Comburg in Germany, Berlin TV Tower in Alexanderplatz and skyline of Lower Manhattan in New York City (Figure 2). The visitors can see the artwork that updated every four seconds via webcam in Postmasters Gallery in New York City (New York Magazine 2004).

Detailed description of the work 

 

Figure 2

Figure 2: Moore, Alan. "History Asks, "What Then?" by Alan Moore." Webcam Images. artnet.com,

http://www.artnet.com/magazine/reviews/moore/moore9-29-01.asp (accessed 29 Nov, 2013).

The artist used live-feed webcam transmissions through three projectors in three different cities. All the projector screen size is large scale wide-screen movie format, which are 10 feet x 25 feet and looks like a live landscape paintings (Jana and Tribe 2007, 90). According to KK, he mentions the three images (Berlin TV Tower, church in Comburg and Lower Manhattan) is representing three major element of the modern world; telecommunications, religion and commerce (KK 2009). The artwork also can express the network can put different parts of the world can connect together and tell us that the world don’t have any boundaries.

Figure 3

Figure 3: " Wolfgang Staehle, Untitled, 2001,live video projection" Photograph. Postmasters Art, http://www.postmastersart.com/archive/ws_pic3.html (accessed 17 Nov, 2013).

Use New York as example (Figure 3), he set up two webcam in an apartment window in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and the camera focus at the skyline of Lower Manhattan. The time showed in lower right corner so it can make the visitors can know the artwork is running in real time. Every four seconds, the scene would shift, so the visitors can see the ships and clouds are moving. The artist didn’t set the webcam to display merely real time, it is because Staehle wants audience to “experience and reflect upon the state of world culture”. It would be no space for audience to have reflection in merely real time mode. (Sanborn 2001).

Actually, the way of present this artwork is interesting during that period since he don’t use the traditional way, such as use still painting, photography, and film to present his work. He use innovative way, which is web live scream camera technology to finish his time-lapse photography project and it was a revolutionary product at that time (NewArtTV 2009). So Postmasters Gallery mentions Staehle's exhibition “was recognized as a pioneer of the internet art scene” when it opens to public (Postmasters Gallery 2001).

However, no one imagine that his artwork records the world history and it becomes an iconic artwork for Mr. Staehle. 

Figure 4

Figure 4: Staehle, Wolfgang. "Untitled" Photograph. Wolfgang-Staehle Blog, http://staehle.wordpress.com/2010/10/03/hello-world/ (accessed 17 Nov, 2013).

8:46 am on September 11, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into north tower of the World Trade Center and cause big explosion. After that, the second plane crashed into south tower and the twins towers collapsed (Figure 4). Finally it cause nearly 3,000 people died, huge debris spread in Lower Manhattan and the smoke and dust appear in World Trade Center site. The camera captures the whole process of September 11 attacks that make American never forget, not just for the terrorist attack cause deadliest incident in the history of the US, the iconic landmark, twin tower also invisible in New York City anymore. When Andrew Robinson see artwork inside gallery, he was “feeling a profound sense of powerlessness” and “the images fixed in their mind” through the live stream camera (Robinson 2001).

Figure 5

Figure 5: Staehle, Wolfgang. "Wolfgang Staehle – Untitled 2001" Photograph. Givon Art Gallery Website, http://givonartgallery.com/wordpress/?page_id=3669 (accessed 17 Nov, 2013).

After the attack, many people and media discuss his artwork. But artist thinks that propose of his work is quite different what he expected and the resonance of the artwork has been enlarged after September 11 attacks, but the meaning of the artwork has also has been narrowed (Artforum International Magazine 2001).

Some people think that Staehle was so lucky that he can capture the first plane crashed into north tower of the World Trade Center. But he thinks their opinion is nonsense. It is because his purpose was just setting the camera only, not willing to capture impressive scene and he didn’t giving it to the media (New York Magazine 2004). 

An evaluation of the work

Figure 6

Figure 6: Pasley, Jeff. "Thomas Cole's: The Course of Empire" Painting. The Age of Jefferson Website, http://pasleybrothers.com/jefferson/course_of_empire.htm (accessed 17 Nov, 2013).

This artwork is Networked Digital Art, since the artist setup web camera that can connect to internet and the real-time images able to see in the gallery through the projector. Meanwhile, the artist get inspire from Thomas Cole series of allegorical landscape printing, “The Course of Empire” (NewArtTV 2009). These series of artwork reflect any empire rise and inevitably will be decline in one day (Figure 6). Besides, the viewing angle of the artwork is look like the same. 

Figure 7

Figure 7: Egan, Chloe. "Chapter 7 Continued" Photograph. StudyBlue, http://pasleybrothers.com/jefferson/course_of_empire.htm (accessed 17 Nov, 2013).

It is very interesting that Staehle’s artwork is matching the situation in Thomas Cole’s landscape printing that shows the empire rise and going to decline. Before the September 11 attacks, World Trade Centre is the iconic landmark of New York City and it also represents the propensity and power position of America since this complex of building have many tenants that related to global banking and financial services and there have many elite people worked at there. As a result of the attacks, it causes huge casualties in United States and many Americans suffer from negative psychological impact. Al-Qaeda looks powerful that they can destroy the power of United States and looks so weak since they lack of strong security measures to protect the whole countries. In fact, the attacks lead to United States and world markets unstable and become weak. Lower Manhattan lost its energetic since the iconic landmark disappears and the skyline looks so empty without twins tower (Figure 7). 

What is remarkable or noteworthy about this work?

Firstly, I think the most interesting part of Staehle’s work is using the live stream camera technology. It is because the audience just stay in indoor gallery can see the outside live picture via webcam in three different locations. Besides, the location setting of the camera is also looks quite interesting. Each camera represents different purpose of the building and the development of the city. It includes monastery common in medieval age, to the tallest building in Germany and famous skyline in New York City that shows the contrast between silence rural area and busy modern city.

Secondly, the scene of the plane crash into World Trade Centre is remarkable on my mind. It is because I watch the attack through the TV live screen when I was small and it still can’t believe this would be happen. It looks horrible when I see the tower finally collapse and the images of the tragedy still keep in my mind. When I watch this artwork again, it recalls back my memory again. Although the artwork don’t contains any sound, but the images still have strong impression to me that we never forget this tragedy. 

Key Quotes:

"Postmasters Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of "2001" - an exhibition of new works by Wolfgang Staehle. The show will open on September 6 and will be on view until October 6, 2001. The reception is scheduled for Thursday, September 6, between 6 and 8 pm. For Wolfgang Staehle, widely recognized as a pioneer of the internet art scene, this will be the first solo exhibition in New York in ten years." 

Postmasters Gallery, “wolfgang staehle“2001”” 2001.

http://www.postmastersart.com/archive/staehle.html. (accessed November 19, 2013).

"On September 11, 2001 I found myself on the streets of New York City, like everyone here, in a state of shock after witnessing the World Trade Center collapse. I roamed about in Chelsea and found myself at the doors of the Postmasters Gallery and had my first introduction to the work of Wolfgang Staehle......One of the images included the NYC skyline with a plume of dust and debris covering lower Manhattan. I recall staring silently at the images and feeling a profound sense of powerlessness. The gallery director and I both stood in silent witness. I turned and walked out of the gallery with that image fixed in my mind."

Robinson,  Andrew Cornell. “Wolfgang Staehle "2004".”  acrStudio. 2004. http://www.acrstudio.com/ideas/staehle_wolfgang/. (accessed November 19, 2013).

Reference:

Artforum International Magazine. “Wolfgang Staehle.” http://www.alexiworth.com/writings/writing_html/Wolfgang%20Staehle.htm (accessed November 17, 2013).

Jana, Renna,. and Mark Tribe. New Media Art. Los Angeles: Taschen, 2007.

KK. “ART, TIME and WOLFGANG STAEHLE.” Art and Today - Thap1211 Studio Theory SPI Studio 2009. 2009

http://artandtoday2009.blogspot.hk/2009/05/art-time-and-wolfgang-staehle.html (accessed November 19, 2013).

Ludovico, Alessandro. “Wolfgang Staehle (Thing.org) interview, the webcam recording the Twin Towers’ end.” Neural http://neural.it/2001/10/wolfgang-staehle-thing-org-interview-the-webcam-recording-the-twin-towers-end/ (accessed November 28, 2013).

NewArtTV, “Wolfgang Staehle.” http://newarttv.com/Wolfgang+Staehle (accessed November 17, 2013).

Postmasters Gallery, “wolfgang staehle“2001””

http://www.postmastersart.com/archive/staehle.html (accessed November 28, 2013).

Robinson, Andrew Cornell. “Wolfgang Staehle "2004".”  acrStudio. 2004. http://www.acrstudio.com/ideas/staehle_wolfgang/. (accessed November 19, 2013).

Rosenberg, Karen. “The Accidental Historian.” New York Magazine. September 13, 2004. http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/9796/. (accessed November 19, 2013).

Sanborn, Keith. “ARCHIVE: Wolfgang Staehle's "Untitled" by Keith Sanborn (2001).” THE THING, INC. 2001 http://post.thing.net/node/683 (accessed November 28, 2013).

jeromejoy.org, "Wolfgang Staehle, «2001», Du 6 Septembre Au 6 Octobre 2001"

http://joy.nujus.net/w/index.php?page=nocinema+-+Staehle+3 (accessed November 28, 2013).

Staehle, Wolfgang. “Works 1995 – 2013.” http://www.wolfgangstaehle.info/pages.php?content=galleryBig.php&navGallID=1&navGallIDquer=1&imageID=7&view=big&activeType=gall. (accessed November 17, 2013).