Glenn McKay Light Projections 1960s-1970s, 1965-1970

McKay’s work is emblematic of a radical, freedom-seeking philosophy of social change and sensual pleasure that is commonly associated with the 1960s. His pulsating, large-screen installations once functioned as backdrops to amplified, psychedelic music performances (most notably Jefferson Airplane’s stage and television appearances).

A painter by training and an innovator in spirit, McKay uses a combination of fugitive and ephemeral materials — transparent inks and dyes, soluble and water-resistant liquids, and oils and pigments applied to translucent surfaces such as 35-millimeter film, transparency slides, film stock, gelatins, and acetates — to create luminous images for projection.

Expanding the capabilities of audiovisual equipment such as the overhead projector and the automatic slide projector, McKay’s installations succeed in drawing an ecstatic form of art from the most commonplace machines.

Artwork image is not available online.

Artwork Info

Artwork title
Light Projections 1960s-1970s
Artist name
Glenn McKay
Date created
1965-1970
Classification
video installation
Medium
single-channel video, color, with sound, 18 min.
Dimensions
144 × 192 in. (365.8 × 487.7 cm)
Date acquired
1999
Credit
Collection SFMOMA
Accessions Committee Fund purchase
Copyright
© Glenn McKay
Permanent URL
https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/99.429
Artwork status
Not on view at this time.

Other Works by Glenn McKay

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