5000 Feet is Best

It is incredible to see how far video art has come since its beginnings in the middle of the last century. I think this progress is clearly illustrated by two examples: one from the earliest days of video art, and a contemporary one. When played side-by-side, John Baldessari’s “I’m Making Art” and Omer Fast’s “5000 Feet is Best” look like they were shot on two different planets. Just the technical aspects of both videos are perfect contrasts. One piece is in shabby black and white, the other is exquisitely rendered in HD color. Baldessari’s work keeps a still shot throughout, while Fast’s film makes use of dozens of different angles, including aerial shots and footage from third party sources. The expressive quality in both videos is also starkly opposite. While the earlier example is a simple statement of the artist’s creative role, the latter encompasses a much broader subject matter. “5000 Feet is Best” vividly speaks of politics, war, postmodernity, disorientation, and many other subjects in a way that would not have been possible for artists in Baldessari’s time. Omer Fast’s film was my favorite of all the ones we watched, and it really showed me how sophisticated and profound video art can be in the 21^st century.