Curated by Video Data Bank
The commodification of the American presidency is examined and lampooned in Presidents and Elections, a compilation of work from the Video Data Bank collection. Interweaving humorous, disquieting, and surreal videos with actual presidential campaign ads, the program highlights the evolving role of television as the driving force of electoral politics. Using appropriated media footage, parodic performance, historical reenactment, and other tactics, the artists represented in this program subvert and disrupt the inanity/insanity of dominant political discourse with their own forms of media manipulation.
Presidents and Elections — Program Listing
1. Excerpt from Political Advertisement 2000 (Antonio Muntadas & Marshall Reese, 2000): 1952 Eisenhower ad [0:22]
2. Excerpt from Spin (Brian Springer, 1995): Introduction [3:10]
3. Excerpt from Political Advertisement 2000: 1960 Kennedy “It’s Up To You” ad [1:00]
4. Excerpt from Political Advertisement 2000: 1960 ad of Jacqueline Kennedy speaking Spanish [1:00]
5. Excerpt from The Eternal Frame (Ant Farm & T.R. Uthco, 1976) [4:00]
6. Excerpt from Spin: “Making up the President” [2:55]
7. Perfect Leader (Max Almy, 1983) [4:00]
8. Excerpt from Political Advertisement 2000: 1968 Nixon ad [1:00]
9. Excerpt from Political Advertisement 2000: 1976 Ford “Feeling Good About America” ad [1:00]
10. Excerpt from Political Advertisement 2000: 1976 “We Need Jimmy Carter” ad [0:40]
11. Decision 80 (Jim Finn, 2003) [10:00]
12. The Speech (Doug Hall, 1982) [4:00]
13. Excerpt from Political Advertisement 2000: 1980 Reagan ad [0:30]
14. Excerpt from Political Advertisement 2000: 1984 Reagan ad [0:55]
15. Excerpt from Spin: “Making the News” [7:00]
16. Excerpt from Political Advertisement 2000: 1988 Dukakis “The Packaging of George Bush” ad, two 1988 George Bush ads [2:00]
17. Excerpt from Political Advertisment 2000: 1992 Pat Buchanan ad [0:30]
18. Excerpt from Stoney Does Houston (Bob Hercules, 1992) [4:10]
19. Election Collectibles (Bryan Boyce, 2000) [4:00]
20. Excerpt from Spin: “The Democratic Make-Up” [5:10]
21. Excerpt from Political Advertisement 2000: 2000 George W. Bush ad [0:30]
22. State of the Union (Bryan Boyce, 2001) [1:43]
Total running time: 58:43 minutes