Tongues, Cadillac Ranch Show/Media Burn
Dublin Core
Title
Tongues, Cadillac Ranch Show/Media Burn
Description
Cadillac Ranch film description provided by Medien Kunst Netz: In 1974, Chip Lord, Doug Hall, and fellow Ant Farmers buried ten Cadillacs in a Texas wheat field, calling the public sculpture Cadillac Ranch. Personal obsession with cars and an understanding of the automobile as an American symbol of technological progress and speed underlie this collaborative sculpture/public spectacle/media event.
Media Burn film description provided by Electronic Arts Intermix: Media Burn integrates performance, spectacle and media critique, as Ant Farm stages an explosive collision of two of America's most potent cultural symbols: the automobile and television. On July 4, 1975, at San Francisco's Cow Palace, Ant Farm presented what they termed the "ultimate media event." In this alternative Bicentennial celebration, a "Phantom Dream Car"—a reconstructed 1959 El Dorado Cadillac convertible—was driven through a wall of burning TV sets. Footage of the actual event, much of which was shot from a closed-circuit video camera mounted inside a customized tail-fin, is framed and juxtaposed with news coverage by the local television stations. Examining the impact of mass media in American culture, Media Burn exemplifies Ant Farm's fascination with the automobile and television as cultural artifacts, and their approach to social critique through spectacle and humor.
Tongues film description provided by Electronic Arts Intermix: A tour-de-force synthesis of theater and video, Tongues is the collective title of a two-part collaboration by Shirley Clarke, distinguished actor/director Joseph Chaikin, and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard. Both one-act monologues integrate the distinctive styles of these three artists: Shepard's innovative, stream-of-consciousness language; Chaikin's kinetic and exacting performance, which unifies the pieces; and Clarke's dynamic, expressive choreography of image, sound and text. The cadences and inflections of Shepard's jazz-related narrative voice and Chaikin's dramatic expression of a multitude of personalities are heightened by Clarke's syncopated use of digital effects, slow motion, and editing techniques to distort and manipulate the image. In describing one man's quest for love, Savage/Love mirrors the search for romantic attachment, from infatuation to insecurity and disillusionment. With its propulsive romantic quest, Savage/Love is a prelude to Tongues, in which a dying man delivers his own last rites. As Chaikin enacts the man's fantasies and recollections, Clarke parallels the narrative and emotional intensity of his performance. Through her ingenious camera work, precise editing, and imaginative use of electronic imaging, Clarke powerfully transforms these stage pieces into resonant video drama.
Media Burn film description provided by Electronic Arts Intermix: Media Burn integrates performance, spectacle and media critique, as Ant Farm stages an explosive collision of two of America's most potent cultural symbols: the automobile and television. On July 4, 1975, at San Francisco's Cow Palace, Ant Farm presented what they termed the "ultimate media event." In this alternative Bicentennial celebration, a "Phantom Dream Car"—a reconstructed 1959 El Dorado Cadillac convertible—was driven through a wall of burning TV sets. Footage of the actual event, much of which was shot from a closed-circuit video camera mounted inside a customized tail-fin, is framed and juxtaposed with news coverage by the local television stations. Examining the impact of mass media in American culture, Media Burn exemplifies Ant Farm's fascination with the automobile and television as cultural artifacts, and their approach to social critique through spectacle and humor.
Tongues film description provided by Electronic Arts Intermix: A tour-de-force synthesis of theater and video, Tongues is the collective title of a two-part collaboration by Shirley Clarke, distinguished actor/director Joseph Chaikin, and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard. Both one-act monologues integrate the distinctive styles of these three artists: Shepard's innovative, stream-of-consciousness language; Chaikin's kinetic and exacting performance, which unifies the pieces; and Clarke's dynamic, expressive choreography of image, sound and text. The cadences and inflections of Shepard's jazz-related narrative voice and Chaikin's dramatic expression of a multitude of personalities are heightened by Clarke's syncopated use of digital effects, slow motion, and editing techniques to distort and manipulate the image. In describing one man's quest for love, Savage/Love mirrors the search for romantic attachment, from infatuation to insecurity and disillusionment. With its propulsive romantic quest, Savage/Love is a prelude to Tongues, in which a dying man delivers his own last rites. As Chaikin enacts the man's fantasies and recollections, Clarke parallels the narrative and emotional intensity of his performance. Through her ingenious camera work, precise editing, and imaginative use of electronic imaging, Clarke powerfully transforms these stage pieces into resonant video drama.
Format
Video (3/4")
Language
English
Type
Performance, Video Art
Identifier
Giulio's 3/4" Video Art Collection
Date Issued
Cadillac Ranch/Media Burn: 1974-1975
Tongues: 1981-82
Tongues: 1981-82
Moving Image Item Type Metadata
Duration
Media Burn: 23 minutes
Cadillac Ranch: 37 minutes
Tongues: 45 minutes
Cadillac Ranch: 37 minutes
Tongues: 45 minutes
Producer
Cadillac Ranch/Media Burn: Tom Weinberg
Tongues: Women's Interart Center, Inc., Other Theater
Tongues: Women's Interart Center, Inc., Other Theater
Director
Cadillac Ranch/Media Burn: Ant Farm (Chip Lord, Doug Michels, Curtis Schreier, Uncle Buddie)
Tongues: Joseph Chaikin, Sam Shepard, Shirley Clarke
Tongues: Joseph Chaikin, Sam Shepard, Shirley Clarke
Country
USA
Citation
“Tongues, Cadillac Ranch Show/Media Burn,” Arizona Media Arts Center, accessed August 23, 2026, http://azmac.mesmernet.org/items/show/6286.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.