Setting a Good Corner (Allegory and Metaphor)

Created by Bruce Nauman, one of the leading Conceptual and Performance artists of our time, Setting a Good Corner is both a document of the artist at work and a work of art. Here, Nauman videotapes himself on his New Mexico ranch as he constructs the corner from which to stretch a length of fence and hang a gate. The duration of the video (nearly one hour) is equal to the length of time required to set a good corner. The artist’s concentrated labor is accompanied by the sounds of distant highway traffic, birdsong, wind and an unexpected visit from his wife, artist Susan Rothenberg. Using allegory and metaphor, Nauman asks us to consider whether all work performed by an artist is art.