Film and Television were the most popular artforms of the 20thÌýcentury in America. Their cultural influence was felt across spheres as diverse as politics, fashion, design and publishing. Notwithstanding the wealth of academic discourse on the cultural, industrial and social history of the moving image in relation to these and other fields thereÌýstill remainsÌýmuch work to be done on how American artists figured film and television as both distinct subjects and tools for the creation of artworks. This lecture series will present a varied roster of talks that will examine the moving image as both subject and practice in American art. We will explore a diversity of periods, artists and approaches to both film and television, observing the Art History of the moving image from an interdisciplinary perspective.Ìý
Organised by Dr Tom Day (The Courtauld)Ìý
Session 1: Tom Day and Jo Applin – In Conversation with Jann HaworthÌý
For the first event in this series Terra Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for American Art,ÌýDr Tom Day,Ìýand Head ofÌýHistory of ArtÌýat The Courtauld,ÌýProfessorÌýJo Applin,Ìýwill be in conversation with pioneering artist Jann Haworth.ÌýHaworth is perhapsÌýbest known for her role as a pioneer of soft sculpture in the 1960s and her collaboration with British Pop artist Peter BlakeÌýin creatingÌýone of the mostÌýfamousÌýalbumÌýcovers of all time: The Beatles’ÌýSgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club BandÌý(1967).ÌýLooking beyond these iconic contributions this talk will highlight the formative and ongoing influence of cinema on Haworth’s art practice.ÌýÌý
Growing up in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, Haworth was exposed to the fantastical artifice of the film industry from a young age, accompanyingÌýher production designer and art director father on set visits to suchÌýclassicÌýfilms asÌýInvasion of the Body SnatchersÌý(1956)ÌýandÌýSome like it HotÌý(1959). Hollywood and the aesthetics of cinema more broadlyÌýhaveÌýhad a deep and lasting influence on Haworth’sÌýwork, yet this has remained a largely undiscussed and unexamined. Moving fromÌýsculpturesÌýof the 1960s, includingÌýCowboyÌý(1964)ÌýandÌýMae West Dressing TableÌý(1965) to more recent paintings and assemblage works that deploy celluloid film and mimic projection such asÌýCinema ParadisoÌý(2007) andÌýCellÌý(2010), this in conversation event will present the work and insights of one American art’s leadingÌýartists concerned withÌýinterrogating the mechanics and culture of the moving image.ÌýÌý
