Tony Oursler's Studio: A Video Artist's Craft Workshop
Tony Oursler's New York studio defies expectations of a video artist's workspace. Instead of high-tech gear, it is filled with furniture, statues, canvases, colors, models, cutouts, puppets, and clothing. A camera is present, but the process is rigorously artisanal: makeup, model-making, and sculpture creation all feed into his projection surfaces. A cult object—a table with an oval hole—allows Oursler and collaborators like Kim Gordon and David Bowie to insert their heads for filming. After recording, faces are distorted and decontextualized, animating sculptures, walls, trees, and objects, giving life to the bizarre video-creatures that made Oursler famous worldwide. The video tour, produced by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, guides viewers through his Lower East Side atelier.
Key facts
- Tony Oursler's studio is in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
- The studio contains furniture, statues, canvases, models, cutouts, puppets, and clothing.
- Oursler's process is described as artisanal, involving makeup and model-making.
- A table with an oval hole is used for filming heads.
- Notable collaborators include Kim Gordon and David Bowie.
- Faces are distorted and decontextualized after filming.
- The video tour was produced by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
- Oursler is known worldwide for his bizarre video-creatures.
Entities
Artists
- Tony Oursler
- Kim Gordon
- David Bowie
Institutions
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- Artribune
Locations
- New York City
- Lower East Side
- Manhattan
- United States