General Idea Light On – General Idea Recording, 1971
Gelatin silver print
20,2 x 25,6 cm (unframed)
30,4 x 37,4 x 3,1 cm (framed)
In June 1971, General Idea left Toronto on a truck to shoot Light On (1971), a project they described as “concerns relating to information fields and recycling of images and self-images through media transformation” (Light On (1971) Project File, General Idea Archive). The artists brought with them Portapak cameras, video equipment and two large mirrors in aluminum frames which could rotate 180 degrees on vertical and horizontal axes.
The devices were used in seven Canadian cities during the summer solstice. The artists manipulated the mirror to project light onto the landscape, buildings, people and objects. Light On – General Idea Recording belongs to a series of black-and-white photographs documenting the performance: Jorge Zontal can be seen holding the Light On mirror that reflects AA Bronson taking the picture. In the background, Felix Partz is shooting with a Portapak camera what will become Double Mirror Video (1971).
This photograph is a vintage print developed by Zontal, originally trained as a photographer.