General Idea
Life & Work by Sarah E.K. Smith
Pilot is a video work that was commissioned by TVOntario for broadcast on late night
television.1 It is a highly structural video divided into five segments that match the five
categories in Showcard Series, 1975–79. Each of the five segments draws on three
different television formats, which are used in repeating sequence. The segments are
introduced by an inspirational montage wherein a voiceover describes the segment’s
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subject as “basically this …” This, in turn, is followed by a “talking heads” section
featuring Partz, Zontal, and Bronson, and each segment concludes with three minutes
of prerecorded footage. The artists performed the work live and inserted the prerecorded
segments, which function like stories within a television news program.
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Through this structure, Pilot conveys key
facts about General Idea. For instance, the
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artists date their collaboration to 1968. They
also explain their intention to work together until
1984, which, Zontal says, is a “convenient way
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to format the future.” The video introduces
several key projects by General Idea. These
include FILE Megazine, which General Idea
calls their “own media device.” Introducing the
“Glamour Issue,” the artists discuss their legal
battle with Time Life Incorporated over their
appropriation of LIFE magazine’s logo. The video
also introduces the V.B. Gowns (venetian-blind
costumes created by the group), architectural
LEFT: Performance documentation of General Idea, Going thru the Motions in Walker Court, Art Gallery of
Ontario, Toronto, September 18, 1975, Collection General Idea, photographer unknown. Making their
debut during Going thru the Motions, the V.B. Gowns acted as stand-ins for beauty pageant contestants
RIGHT: Felix Partz models V.B. Gown #3 (Massing Studies for the Pavillion #3) at City Hall, Toronto, 1975,
photograph by General Idea
studies for The 1984 Miss General Idea
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Pavillion. Other key elements of the group’s
work are featured, such as The 1984 Miss General Idea Pageant.
Blurring the lines between reality and fiction, Pilot is key to understanding General
Idea’s work from the 1970s. It demonstrates their interest in appropriating popularculture and media formats, while introducing the group and their work to viewers. The
video is significant as it marked a shift in their practice—General Idea’s previous video
works were conceived as television, but in Pilot and subsequent videos, the artists
created footage for broadcast on television.
Test Tube 1979
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