COLLECTION NAME:
Visual Resources Teaching Collection
mediaCollectionId
ArtArtHiAAH~7~7
Visual Resources Teaching Collection
Collection
true
Image Record ID:
aahi0003625
image_record_id
aahi0003625
Image Record ID
false
Work Title (display):
In the Name of the Place: Government Issue
Image Title:
full view
Work Description:
A collaborative project initiated by artist Mel Chin, the objects, props, and sets for "In the Name of the Place" were designed and produced by a group of artists consisting mainly of students and teachers from the University of Georgia, Athens, and the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia. Each week, the GALA committee would receive advance copies of the highly confidential " Melrose Place" script and propose props for the set of the show. These props acted as visual subplots, responding to the storyline of the show in witty and often overtly political ways. In this way, a container of Chinese food smuggled slogans from the Tiananmen Square protest onto primetime television. In another example, a pregnant Allison (played by Courtney Thorne-Smith) is shown working on a large quilt, but the image that unfolds is the chemical structure for RU486 - the controversial abortion pill. Inserting visual juxtapositions wherever possible, GALA's objects address subjects that are often too difficult to examine on a sitcom or nighttime soap. Modeling the project after the way a virus spreads, GALA's alterations often go unnoticed at first. But with subsequent airings, fans began to pick up on the unfolding visual drama. With the show now airing in syndication all over the world, GALA's objects spread their messages slowly and subversively. In 1996, GALA mounted an exhibition of the hundreds of objects produced for the show at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. (http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/chin/card1.html)
Work Dates (display):
1996
Work Dates type:
creation
Image Date (display):
2009-01-21
Work Creator (display):
GALA Committee (American, founded 1995)
Work Creator gender:
male and female
work_creator_or_agent_gender
male and female
Work Creator gender
false
Work Creator notes (display):
This complex collaborative endeavor was created by The GALA Committee: a group comprised primarily of students and faculty from the University of Georgia and CalArts. The group organized initially around the activity of developing site-specific art objects for the sets of the popular television series. Working first with Melrose's Set Decorator, GALA's collaborative structure quickly grew to include scholars, critics, other artists, and, most notably, the writers and producers of Melrose Place itself. With the ultimate goal of involving the television audience, the GALA Committee placed numerous props and set pieces in camera's view, which were then broadcast to an international audience of millions. Although the artworks were not intended to subvert or parody the series, the characters and stories often provided an opportunity to create pieces which addressed topics like gender, infectious diseases, violence, environmental devastation and global conflict. The exhibition sidestepped editorial posturing and aimed instead to infiltrate and transform the medium, reinventing television with interpretive, interactive possibilities. Simultaneously, the GALA Committee moved public art into the most broadly communicative context possible. (GALA Committee website: http://www.cftnm.ucsb.edu/mpart/)
Work Creator UCB affiliation (display):
visiting artist, Visiting Artist Program, 2004
Work Creator (corporate) members (sort):
LaPointe, Jon
Work Creator (corporate) members (sort):
Chin, Mel
Work Creator (corporate) members (sort):
Penley, Constance
Work Style Period:
20th century
work_styleperiod
20th century
Work Style Period
false
Work Style Period:
Contemporary
work_styleperiod
Contemporary
Work Style Period
false
Work Subject:
AK-47 rifle
subject
AK-47 rifle
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
letter carriers
subject
letter carriers
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
parody
subject
parody
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
Melrose Place (television program)
subject
Melrose Place (television program)
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
television programs
subject
television programs
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
mass media
subject
mass media
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
violence
subject
violence
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
art
subject
art
Work Subject
false
Work Worktype:
props (object-genre)
work_type
props (object-genre)
Work Worktype
false
Work Worktype:
sculpture (visual works)
work_type
sculpture (visual works)
Work Worktype
false
Work Category (VRC classification):
sculptures and installations
work_category__ucbaahvrc_classification_
sculptures and installations
Work Category (VRC classification)
false
Work Material and Technique (display):
altered U.S. mailbag with AK-47 clip
Work Measurements (display):
25 in (H) x 18 in (W) x 7 in (D)
Image Rights (display):
unknown
Work Rights (display):
© GALA Committee
Terms of Agreement and Conditions of Use:
YOU AGREE: Luna Imaging's Insight Software and the digital image collection associated with it (the Software) are being provided by the University of Colorado under the following license. By obtaining, using, and/or copying this work, you (the Licensee) agree that you have read, understood, and will comply with the following terms and conditions. 1. The Software contains the University of Colorado's Department of Art and Art History's implementation of a digital image collection; 2. Any images obtained through use of the Software will be used only for non-profit, educational purposes; 3. The use of images obtained through the software will only be used while the Licensee is either: a) an employee of the University of Colorado, Metropolitan State College of Denver, or the Community College of Denver, or b) an enrolled student at the University of Colorado, Metropolitan State College of Denver, or the Community College of Denver; 4. When the Licensee is no longer an employee or student of the University of Colorado, Metropolitan State College of Denver or Community College of Denver, either by an action of the University of Colorado, Metropolitan State College of Denver or the Community College of Denver or due to actions of the Licensee, the licensee will cease to use any images exported from the Department of Art and Art History's digital image collection; 5. The Licensee agrees to indemnify the University for claims and liability arising out of the use of the Software or for any violations of this license; 6. THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO SUPPLIES THE SOFTWARE WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
CU Copyright Statement:
The contents of the University of Colorado Digital Library are available for your use in research, teaching, and private study. Some of these items are protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) and some items may have additional restrictions. If you use the items in this collection, make sure you abide by any restrictions stated in the descriptive data window. The nature of these collections often makes it difficult to determine the copyright status of an item. We have made every effort to provide information about copyright owners and other restrictions in the descriptive data window. Ultimately, however, it is your responsibility to use the item according to the terms governing its use. If you are a copyright holder and the information is either not listed or listed incorrectly, please let us know so that we can update the information on our site.
Holding Institution:
University of Colorado at Boulder
Collection:
Art and Art History Visual Resources Collection
Collection info and contact:
For information about this collection, see