The Comedians

Artist Jordan Baseman (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, born 1960)

Date2000

MediumDVD

ClassificationsTime-Based Media

AcquisitionPresented in 2001 by the Digital Arts Development Agency.

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG013892

Keywords

About MeThis work features a series of comedy routines performed by adolescent boys and girls. Through the conventions of joke-telling, the children's performances throw a spotlight onto family ties, the bitter-sweet experience of youth and the passage of time.

Jordan Baseman is a lecturer in Sculpture to the MA students of Wimbledon College of Fine Art and has been making video art since 1999. In conversation, he described his work practice as 'inherently uncertain, relying often on random encounters, chance revelations and stumbled upon information'. Even though Baseman approaches a project with an objective in mind he admits that he can never be sure of the final outcome, the piece being dictated as much by the subject as by his intention.

On initial viewing this piece seems almost to be documentary, each child revealing themselves through the jokes that they choose to tell, the information simply presented for the viewer to react to as they will. However, Baseman's seemingly neutral presence is misleading - 'The Comedians' is contrived through judicious editing; many hours of footage distilled down to a few shown minutes.