MoMA Acquires Christian Marclay’s 24 Hour Video Installation

New York’s Museum of Modern Art has acquired the groundbreaking 24-hour video installation THE CLOCK, created by Swiss avant-gardist Christian Marclay. In this exhaustive yet entertaining installation, the artist assembles thousands of film excerpts to form a 24-hour montage, which unfolds in real time. Appropriated from cinema’s rich history, each clip displays a watch or clock taken from chase scenes, board rooms, emergency wards, bank heists, trysts, high noon shootouts, detective dramas, or silent comedies. The project took three years to compile, with Marclay editing entirely alone after the identification of relevant clips by his team of six researchers. Longtime collaborator Quentin Chiappetta assisted with continuity, melding the actual sound between the disparate clips, providing the acoustic glue that gives the piece its fluidity and flow. Winning the top prize at this summer’s Venice Biennale, THE CLOCK is a virtuoso work of style and skill, serving as a celebration of 100 years of the history of cinema, as well as a provocative meditation on the continual passing of time. The Museum’s plans to exhibit the work will be announced at a later date. For more information, visit: www.moma.org

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