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Contemporary Art Gallery

555 Nelson Street
Vancouver, Canada
Open from Tuesday to
Sunday 12 pm → 6 pm

Admission always free
ArchiveExhibition
3 Dec 88until23 Dec 88

Stan Douglas

T.V. Spots and Marnie

555 Hamilton St

A still image from a film on a small screen. The photo is a closeup, the grainy texture of the film is visible. The scene shown is an empty outdoor parking lot at night, with a person at the pay booth.

Stan Douglas, Lit Lot, 1987. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Stan Douglas’ most recent video work, T.V. Spots, examines television conventions through tiny narratives depicting commonplace or habitual situations. The spots number twelve in total and run between fifteen and thirty-seven seconds in length. In the gallery they are presented on a video monitor and are shown mixed in with familiar commercial fare. By reserving content, T.V. Spots allow the viewer to choose a response — no product, no message is indicated in the exchange. The gallery is currently negotiating with several local television stations in an effort to broadcast T.V. Spots.

Marnie, comprising a set of studies for a future film work, is composed of a series of photographs and accompanying scenario text. The project is based on Hitchcock’s 1964 film classic Marnie.

The corner of a gallery. One wall is white and shows 6 black and white images of architectural spaces, referencing the Hitchcock film, Marnie. The other wall is pale green and shows a sheet of text.
A closeup of a film playing on a small, curved screen. The image shows a person in a red t-shirt and shorts at a spray station in a public park. The image on the screen is grainy from the analog film.
A gallery space with black walls. The wall shows large text reading "Television Spots" and several white artworks on the walls with black and white images and text.

Documents

Essay: “Habeas Corpus: Stan Douglas’ Television Spots,” Miriam Nicolspdf10mb
A still image from a film on a small screen. The photo is a closeup, the grainy texture of the film is visible. The scene shown is an empty outdoor parking lot at night, with a person at the pay booth.
The corner of a gallery. One wall is white and shows 6 black and white images of architectural spaces, referencing the Hitchcock film, Marnie. The other wall is pale green and shows a sheet of text.
A closeup of a film playing on a small, curved screen. The image shows a person in a red t-shirt and shorts at a spray station in a public park. The image on the screen is grainy from the analog film.
A gallery space with black walls. The wall shows large text reading "Television Spots" and several white artworks on the walls with black and white images and text.