THE ESTATE OF GENERAL IDEA GI Photographs_FINAL | Page 14

LIGHT-ON SERIES, 1971
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 is a
series of black-and-white photographs documenting the performance.
General Idea, Light On – General Idea Recording, 1971, gelatin silver print, vintage matte,
11,1 x 7,5 cm (image), 21,5 x 18,3 cm (matte), 28,2 x 24,2 x 3,1 cm (framed) (GI 335)
Jorge Zontal is pictured holding the Light On mirror that reflects the landscape around him. Never
exhibited before.
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