Christian Marclay: Festival – Issues 1-3

Softcover | 21 x 2 x 28 cm | 248 pp

Whitney Museum of American Art | 2011 | 9780300169003

3 magazines in card slipcase

Christian Marclay (b. 1955), best known for his film montage The Clock (2010), explores the fusion of fine art and audio cultures, transforming sounds and music into a visible, physical form through performance, collage, sculpture, installation, photography, and video.

Christian Marclay: Festival was a pioneering exhibition during which musicians performed Marclay’s scores live, in the gallery, at least twice a day. This catalogue was conceived in this same improvisatory, spontaneous spirit, and is composed of three separate magazines that were issued during the run of the exhibition. The magazine format reflects the open, generous nature of the performances and allowed for a more immediate response to the evolution of the exhibition over time, as well as enabled documentation of the many performances that took place every day within the gallery. 

The first issue, titled Prelude, historically contextualises Marclay’s work; the second, Interlude, addresses his early work and discusses the performances taking place at the Whitney; and the third, Reprise, looks at his later work and video scores.

The publication includes critical writings on Marclay’s work by Christoph Cox and Liz Kotz, among others; reflections from performers such as Elliott Sharp and Shelley Hirsch; reviews of the performances; and is beautifully illustrated with images of the exhibition, the performances, and the scores.

As a whole, Christian Marclay: Festival is a thoughtful and creatively packaged document that captures how this artists compelling practice has evolved and continues to expand and develop.