Vito Acconci Videos

Vito Acconci’s videos, “Theme Song” and “Undertone,” both incorporate the phrase, “up close and personal.” In “Theme Song” Acconci talks to the viewer in a relaxed, laid back manner as if he were on something. When watching the video I was sort of hypnotized by the tone of his voice, yet disgusted in what he was actually walking about. A lot of his work refers to women so when he mentions that he doesn’t need to know their face or what they look like, I was immediately timid about watching the rest of the video. He gets real personal with the viewer and expects the same in return. He tries to manipulate and seduce the viewer and talks as if the viewer was right there in front of him. I kind of got the feeling that I wanted to talk back to him and tell him off. This video differs from the others that we have seen so far because instead of the camera focusing on another person, it focuses on the artist himself.

In “Undertone,” Acconci plays out one of his sexual fantasies. The manner in which Acconci talks invoke weird feelings in the viewer. I was disturbed that I had to sit and watch him fantasize about a woman pleasuring him. He brings the viewer into his fantasy and wants them to make it a reality. I thought the setting to this video was great, as it makes the viewer feel as if they were actually sitting on the opposite side of the table. The viewer plays a very important role in both Acconci videos. In “Undertone,” Acconci mentions that he needs to have someone to talk to, as if he needs an audience. In “Theme Song,” he mentions “he can try to reach out to us,” but it is really up to the viewer to respond. The audience is a part of the art and helps make the piece what it is. I thought that this was very intriguing because we have seen this technique used before, most notably in the Chris Burden videos.