Bruce Conner

American

1933, McPherson, Kansas
2008, San Francisco, Bay Area

Bruce Conner was many things, among them a filmmaker, a mixed-media artist, a Beat, a punk, and a notorious prankster. In this collage of rare archival footage, Bruce Conner discusses how, as an artist, he can’t be pinned down and doesn’t want to be. Decades after his groundbreaking work first appeared, it’s still all true.

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Hear how Conner defies categorization

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NARRATOR:  

Artist Bruce Conner had many different careers. He created assemblages drawings and photographs. He made pioneering experimental films and even tried his hand at politics. Through it all, he demonstrated a stunning capacity to re-invent himself, and a willful desire to avoid categorization.  

 

BRUCE CONNER: 

Even though it may not be obvious, there can be a relationship between the different media and different styles. 

I don’t cue people as to what I see—in any of my work—because I feel that’s an imposition. I like the works to be unique; I like them to be seen as phenomena.  

 

NARRATOR:  

Because he created compelling art in so many different forms, Conner’s impact has been felt far beyond the Bay Area, where he chose to live and make his career. 

 

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