Enduring: 365 Days

Jamie McMurray, 2005-6, 42 minutes loopedVideo

On September 23, 2005 Jamie McMurray[frame_right][/frame_right] began 365 Performances, a project in which he did a performance action every day for the duration of a year. As McMurry himself describes, “All of the collecting, cataloging and recording very quickly became and integral part of the work, as it allowed for constant review and examination during its actual existence as a work of performance.”

County Fair Series
Jamie McMurray, 2004-6, 5 seconds looped
3 Channel Video

“For the Country Fair Series, I merged elements of “art world performance” and “real world performance” using my own autobiographical influences contained in the traditions of the rural American fair. It was a 3 performance work culminating in a 3-channel video installation. The performances; “Hi-Striker” (October 2004) Over the course of 12 hours I rang the bell on a hi striker over 1,100 times inside a window display in mid-town Manhattan; “Demolition Derby Featuring the Emancipator” (Sep 2005) I participated in a demolition derby at the L.A. County Fair; “Dunk Tank” (March 2006) At the Angela Hanley Gallery in Los Angeles, I sat in a dunk tank for 2 hours and allowed the audience to try and sink me. The video is exhibited as a triptych, showing only the 2 second moments of impact in the 3 actions.” – Jamie McMurray

My Cat and I
Nikolaj Larsen, 1999, 4:30 minutes looped
Video

In Nikolaj Larsen’s video My Cat and I the artist holds a cat in his arms for several minutes as he attempts the impossible task of creating a motionless portrait. The cat’s increasing agitation juxtaposed with Larsen’s deadpan expression makes for an amusing contrast while setting up an examination of the constructs of video and photographic portraiture.

Enduring was screened as part of the UMOCA ongoing video series, Looped.