Why Video is Alive - Response to Foster’s "Video and Intermedia"

Foster’s note would work better as an art piece of a different medium rather than a writing. Following his own definition of art I would tell him that he has good ideas but they are not effectively communicated. But rather than complain about the aesthetics of his piece, I am going to emphasize and his best points and use them as catalysts.

Foster provides three essential “laws” of intermedia. 1) Intermedia must be a sociopolitical catalyst. 2) Intermedia must evoke criticism, specifically political, and not just cosmetic criticism of the piece itself. 3) Although anything can be intermedia, video has the highest potential because it can communicate by force.

Foster also gives a wonderful analogy to emphasize the importance that video goes against any fixed expectation. Video is “an extension of the nervous system”. Like the nervous system which can give us fear and make our hearts beat faster, video is known for what it does not for what it is. It cannot be given a set classification. If someone were to tell me, “I’m going to show you a painting”, I already have a picture in mind and I know to expect a painting. The same goes for a cinematic production or a commercial -  we know what to expect. This makes video alive. 

Video breathes and grows and changes. It is a baby first learning to walk and at the same time a rebellious teenager filled with argument and at the same time a tired grandmother with a slowly fading smile. Life is spontaneous because we do not know where it will take us. Neither a painting or sculpture can be spontaneous because we see it all at the same time. Video is alive because it can convey the same emotional suspense and tension that we experience in real life. A video can be a friend in the beginning yet end up as an enemy. Over time we can grow to love, hate, appreciate, or challenge a video. This ability for a video to change our minds and to move us is why video as intermedia is so powerful. Video is alive because it is spontaneous. 

Foster’s article reminds me of this video of Andy Warhol Eating a Hamburger because it makes me question: what is the difference between video and intermedia?... between technology communication and art that communicates?... and above all, what is art?