Anthony McCall
Encyclopedia
Anthony McCall is a British-born (1946) American
Avant-Garde
artist, specializing in cinema/projected film.
McCall was a key figure in the avant-garde London Film-makers Co-operative in the 1970s and his earliest films are documents of outdoor performances that were notable for their minimal use of the elements, most notably fire.
After moving to New York in 1973, McCall continued his fire performances and developed his ‘solid light’ film series, conceiving the Line Describing a Cone, in 1973. These works are simple projections that emphasise the sculptural qualities of a beam of light.
At the end of the 1970s, McCall withdrew from making art. Over 20 years later, he acquired a new dynamic and re-opened his ‘solid light’ series, this time using digital projectors rather than 16mm film.
In October 2009, McCall’s work was featured in a solo show opening at the Moderna Museet. This exhibition showcased Doubling Back (2003) as well as a light installation entitled You and I, Horizontal (2005). Also included in the show were a number of drawings illustrating varied motions of light waves, which the artist refers to as "scores" of his films.
Later in 2009 he was awarded £500,000 from the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad to create a work consisting of a column of steam in Birkenhead
which will be visible up to 100 km away.
He is the subject of the book Anthony McCall: The Solid Light Films and Related Works
, edited by Christopher Eamon with contributions by Branden W. Joseph
and Jonathan Walley.
Anthony studied graphic Design at Ravensbourne College of Art and Design, Bromley, Kent, England in the late 60's and experimented with film during that time.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Avant-Garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
artist, specializing in cinema/projected film.
After moving to New York in 1973, McCall continued his fire performances and developed his ‘solid light’ film series, conceiving the Line Describing a Cone, in 1973. These works are simple projections that emphasise the sculptural qualities of a beam of light.
At the end of the 1970s, McCall withdrew from making art. Over 20 years later, he acquired a new dynamic and re-opened his ‘solid light’ series, this time using digital projectors rather than 16mm film.
In October 2009, McCall’s work was featured in a solo show opening at the Moderna Museet. This exhibition showcased Doubling Back (2003) as well as a light installation entitled You and I, Horizontal (2005). Also included in the show were a number of drawings illustrating varied motions of light waves, which the artist refers to as "scores" of his films.
Later in 2009 he was awarded £500,000 from the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad to create a work consisting of a column of steam in Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
which will be visible up to 100 km away.
He is the subject of the book Anthony McCall: The Solid Light Films and Related Works
Anthony McCall: The Solid Light Films and Related Works
Anthony McCall: The Solid Light Films and Related Works is a nonfiction book on avant-garde artist Anthony McCall and his work in cinema. The book was edited by Christopher Eamon with contributions by Branden W...
, edited by Christopher Eamon with contributions by Branden W. Joseph
Branden W. Joseph
Branden Wayne Joseph is the Frank Gallipoli Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art in the department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University. Prior to coming to Columbia in the fall of 2006, Joseph taught at the University of California, Irvine...
and Jonathan Walley.
External links
- Video of artist explaining one work from Tate BritainTate BritainTate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...
's website. - Video of artist lecturing at Carnegie Mellon during the The Wats:On? 2010 Festival.
Anthony studied graphic Design at Ravensbourne College of Art and Design, Bromley, Kent, England in the late 60's and experimented with film during that time.