The World of Photography, 1986, color video, 24:35 minutes. Courtesy the artists and EAI. Photo: Chris Schiavo.
Special Feature for Issue 44
We are very pleased to present “The World of Photography” by Michael Smith and
William Wegman.
Artists Michael Smith and William Wegman — both of whom use conceptual humor as an art-making strategy — collaborated on this satirical commentary on photography, the process of image-making, and the interchange of “high” art and “low” culture. The tape is structured as an instructional guide that advances the “slice of life” method, imparting not only technique, but attitude and approach to the subject of photography. Wegman plays the world-weary artiste, a professional photographer who takes the innocent and earnest Mike under his tutelage. The business of art, the “reality” of the photographic image, and its pervasive role in contemporary culture are among the issues that receive irreverent treatment in this comedic collaboration.Producer: Michael Smith. Director/Camera: Mark Fischer. Music: Mark Bingham, A. Leroy with Jay Weigal. Lyrics: A. Leroy, Michael Smith. Set Designer: Alan Herman. Editor: Shelly Silver. Produced in association with the Contemporary Art Television (CAT) Fund and KTCA.
