ANTHONY MACCALLLONG FILM FOR AMBIENT LIGHT04.10-15.10.1975

“Long Film for Ambient Light” by the English artist Anthony McCall is not a film intended to be seen on a screen.
It is rather a demonstration, perceived primarily on an intellectual level.

The film is presented at Galerie S:t Petri, Lund, from October 4 to 15, 1975.
It consists of three parts: the artist’s statement, a timetable, and a “changing” room (the windows are covered with white paper, and a lit lightbulb hangs from the middle of the ceiling).
The exhibition is open from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. — from daylight through dusk to darkness.
It is at this point that the relationship between the two light sources changes most (the electric light remains constantly on).

“Long Film for Ambient Light” is Anthony McCall’s ninth film.
It recalls his previous works in that it deals with the experience of change over time.
What distinguishes it from the earlier ones is that it does not use either projector or celluloid.

Anthony McCall explains:

“Everything that happens — including the (electro-chemical) thought process — happens in time.
A piece of paper on the wall has as much permanence as a film projector.
The only difference lies in the latter’s immediate connection to our perception.”

The earlier film presentations were made before a limited audience.
“Long Film for Ambient Light” is McCall’s first attempt to move away from the “performance” aspect.
He is more interested in exploring other basic principles such as temporality and light.
For the first time, his focus is less on the physical process and more on the possibilities behind film as a conceptual activity.

At the moment, Anthony McCall is participating in the Paris Biennale, where he is showing three films.
Earlier this spring, he exhibited at the Malmö Konsthall inaugural show “New Media.”
He has also carried out various artistic activities in England and the United States.