In this article Krauss looks into the work of Christian
Marclay, prominently his latest piece, The
Clock (2010), a 24 hour running combination of film clips which while being
projected relate to each exact time of day. ‘Technical support’ is made necessary
for his work, this term is the use of ‘commercial or industrial products’ and
for Marclay this being commercial sound film.
‘Synch-time’ is the result of the combination of the films individual
frames being projected at the viewer and the optics created to produce the
retinal construction of the after-image, the ‘phi-effect’ - creating the
illusion of movement. The result of this can often achieve a sense of a suspension
of disbelief, where the viewer can become enveloped into the film and the position
of the characters, being empathetic to their situation and feelings.
In Marclay’s The Clock
the exact moment in time displayed on the screen corresponds to the ‘real time’
of the viewer. The use of cutaways creates suspense in the work as the ‘plot’ (time
being shown through views of clocks, watches and dials in each film clip) unravels
with the characters and their reactions to each reflected moment in time
portrayed on screen, ‘reel time’. Each clip he uses becomes part of the overall
plot, where the characters used await moments of catastrophe: a bomb’s explosions
or a missile strike. However the suspense created in Marclay’s The Clock in ‘real time’ does not correspond
to that of the original film that they were extracted from.
The relationship between the ‘reel time’ of Marclay’s The Clock and the ‘real time’ of the
viewers creates a realisation and sense of present time and self-presence in
the ‘now effect’. The exploration of The
Clock in its use ‘technical support’ is a feat by Marclay, consequently
creating a new medium.
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