Vidéo dans une chambre d'hôtel

Performance vidéo, Nouvel Hôtel, Résidence Barcelone, Espagne, 22 février 1977

At the invitation of Jorge Glusberg of the Buenos Aires CAYC, Pierre Restany and Fred Forest take part in the Rencontres internationales Ouvertes de vidéo in Barcelona, held at the Miro Foundation. They were on the plane from Paris. Making the most of their flight time, they put the finishing touches to the video project Forest was planning. In keeping with Fred Forest's plans, the action will involve stepping outside the established cultural milieu to create a close social link with his artistic practice. His video project will take place in the very centre of Barcelona, close to the famous Ramblas, and will be shot in a hotel indicated to him by a Spanish artist friend of his: the 'Nouvel Hôtel'.  For the artist, it consisted of hand-held video (a title that Anne-Marie Duguet took up five years later for her book published by Hachette in 1981, in which she devoted an entire chapter to Forest as a pioneer of video art).

https://www.persee.fr/doc/colan_0336-1500_1981_num_50_1_3498

Waiting for the first travellers to arrive at reception, the artist led them on a tour of the room upstairs, accompanied by Jorge Glusberg and Pierre Restany. Forest videotaped the questions they asked. They were a couple from Figueras who had come to Barcelona for a few days' holiday in February. Of course, after asking for their agreement before playing the game, the artist used his Sony Portapack. Unfortunately, these videotapes, like many others, were lost after fifty years of being stored in deplorable conditions.  Institutions and officials from the Ministry of Culture lost interest in this work... And it was only after the creation of the Inathèque in 2004 that his work was taken in hand, thanks to the vigilance of then Chairman Emmanuel Hoog and his project manager Gilbert Dutertre. Fred Forest was the first artist to be included in Ina's contemporary archives. Once the visit to the Nouvel Hôtel was over, the team returned to the Fondation Miro with their precious booty to present the video to the delegates...

• Téléexpress, Barcelone, 23 février 1977. " Fred Forest : acciôn de arte sociologico en un Hôtel "
• Téléexpress, Barcelone, 25 février 1977. " La alternativa del arte sociologico " par Angelas Limas
• Exposition de groupe " 7e  Rencontres internationales ouvertes de vidéo ", Fondation  Miro, Barcelone, Espagne, février 1977
• Performance, Nouvel Hôtel,  Résidence Barcelone, Espagne, 22 février 1977.