Marshall and Antoni will host a screening of their film “Political Advertisement XI 1952-2024” followed by a Q&A moderated by Dr. Kathleen Newman of Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences Department of English. This event is made possible by the Sylvia & David Steiner Speaker Series  the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon, the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences Department of English, and the Center for the Arts in Society, and was proposed by Suzie Silver, Professor of Art.

About Political Advertisement XI

“For 40 years, Antoni Muntadas and Marshall Reese have been compiling a video history of  presidential campaign spots that follows the evolution of political advertising from its beginnings in 1952 to the present. When the artists started this project in 1984, finding broadcast political ads required exhaustive research in archives and often involved personal contact with the candidate’s campaigns, a bit more complicated than today’s internet click and download.

The feature length video is a personal vision of how politics and politicians are shaped and  presented through the moving image. This engaging critique  without voiceover commentary highlights how campaign ads manipulate public perception and affect voter behavior. The experience is an historical stream of consciousness showcasing the political and technological  histories of presidential candidates and the broadcast moving image.

Tonally, the film is a perfect hybrid of its creators’ sensibilities. It’s funny and nostalgic,  and has an innocent quality, while at the same time offering a bleak view of a specifically  American form of propaganda, born in 1952, that has grown to shape our political process — not just the way we sell our politicians but the nature of the political discourse itself.” – John Seabrook, The New Yorker

The video illustrates how advertising strategies have changed from television’s early days into sophisticated media campaigns based on fear, prejudice and emotional triggers. Political Advertisement stands as an important work in the field of media art merging cultural critique with historical documentation that prompts viewers to consider the role of media in politics and its effects on democracy.

About the Filmmakers

Antoni Muntadas was born in Barcelona in 1942 and has lived in New York since 1971. His work addresses social,  political, and communications issues, the relationship between public and private space within social frameworks,  as well as channels of information and the ways they may be used to censor central information or promulgate  ideas. He works on projects in different media such as photography, video, publications, Internet and multi-media  installations. Since 1995, Muntadas has grouped together a set of works and projects titled On Translation  emphasizing issues of interpretation, transcription, and cultural translation. Their content, dimensions, and  materials are variable, and focus on the author’s personal experience and artistic activity in numerous countries  over forty years. His most recent project Asian Protocols explores similarities, differences and conflicts between  Korea, Japan, and China.

Marshall Reese is a Brooklyn-based artist working in various media including video, information networks, custom  hardware and software, editions, and temporary public art events. Since the mid-eighties he has collaborated with  Nora Ligorano as LigoranoReese. Their work investigates the impact of technology on society and the rhetoric of  politics and visual culture in the media. Articles about their work have been published in the New York Times, Art  Forum, Art In America, the Huffington Post, and seen on television and other media. They have received awards  and grants including 3 NYFA fellowships as well as a NEA fellowship, two Jerome Foundation Fellowships, a Puffin  grant and a number of artists residencies. They are represented by Catharine Clark Gallery and show edition work  with Jim Kempner Fine Art.