Marclay brings 24-hour clock to Leeum

By Ines Min

How does one capture time? Though the concept reaches into metaphysical, philosophical and religious grounds, Christian Marclay finds a simpler method: through video.

The experimental artist and turntablist pioneer Marclay opens his debut Korean exhibition tomorrow at the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art. Comprised of just three pieces — his video works “Telephones” (1995), “Video Quartet” (2002) and the latest “The Clock”— they look at the American artist’s most recent outlet of choice.

The 55-year-old spent his childhood in Switzerland, but once back to his native land in New York, the young Marclay found an affinity with punk rock and ventured into the visually stimulating world of sound. The 1970s saw the rise of hip-hop, but also his first turntable outfitting, and Marclay soon made a name with his style of cutting, pasting and spinning the records in a type of performance music (the mashed up vinyl skipping from genre to genre with a pop). His influences range from John Cage to Joseph Beuys, and he frequently collaborates with established musicians.

Four decades on, his just-completed work brings together clips from thousands of avant-garde flicks and Hollywood blockbusters to comprise a 24-hour collage of, well, time itself. Films were painstakingly watched and samples taken with the help of six assistants over the course of 28 months, leading to the full-day work that serves as both homage to contemporary film and a beguiling compilation of entertainment. For those local cinephiles looking to spot Korean hits, “Oldboy” is featured at 3:20 p.m., while “A Bittersweet Life” makes a cameo around 9 p.m.

First shown in last month’s Art Frieze in London, crowds were drawn to the harmonious agglomerate of everything from the Marx Brothers to Meryl Streep romantic comedies, staying until the grand finish at 2:30 a.m. Unfortunately, patrons of the Leeum won’t have the opportunity to experience the complete 24-hour marathon, but the video will screen on rotation, so that truly dedicated visitors can visit to see different portions playing each day.

The edited pieces work as new compilations of what Marclay called “found art,” with the scenes providing pinpoints of occasional familiarity that engage and lure viewers, the artist told reporters Tuesday. “I’m less interested in creating a world out of nothing,” he said. “I’m reinterpreting what’s around me... I like to react to the environment.”

While material on the lead-up to midnight were so numerous he could’ve provided a second-by-second work, other times such as between 5 and 5:30 a.m. were more difficult to fill with video. And, though the featured clips range in nationality across the globe, Marclay noted that Bollywood films were less likely to include shots of clocks or watches. “There were no representations of time, perhaps because it’s too grounded in reality.”

His first step into video collage, “Telephones,” will also be shown. The piece is a 17-minute elongation of a phone conversation as told through hundreds of film clips. “Video Quartet” also epitomizes his vision of audio mixed with the visual, comprising a four-channel installation that brings together the trumpets of lonely blues to staccato tap. The visual component comes through with the geometric parallels found across all four screens, or the isolation of a drumstick against a set in one, or the movement of repetition.

A lecture by Marclay will be held on Saturday at the museum (in English with Korean interpretation), while a curator’s talk (Korean) will be held on Jan. 8, 2011.

“What You See is What You Hear” is on display at the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art through Feb. 13, 2011. General admission is 3,000 won. For more information, visit www.leeum.org.