YouTube isn’t really known for its arty content, being considered the actual and spiritual home for funny home videos in this Web-obsessed age. But that could soon change thanks to a biennial event in association with the Guggenheim Museum.
YouTube Video
When you visit YouTube, which is something a great many of us do on a regular basis, you expect a certain type of video. Music videos, funny videos, videos with animals, that sort of thing.
YouTube has made an attempt at opening up its content in recent years. Deals with content creators have seen long-form video sit snugly alongside the more common user-generated video content.
Now comes another attempt to open YouTube up to a wider, more diverse audience.
YouTube Play
YouTube has today launched YouTube Play, a new biennial event in association with the Guggenheim Museum. It is, in essence, an attempt to bring creative video to the fore.
The Guggenheim Museum is known for offering a wide range of art in a multitude of different media. Video is one of these mediums, and what better way to pull in a wide range of creative videos offerings than to use YouTube, the most-popular video site on the Web.
The idea of YouTube Play is to expand what is possible with video, and YouTube is seeking submissions from the most creative people.
“We’re looking for animation, motion graphics, narrative, non-narrative, or documentary work, music videos and entirely new art forms—creations that really challenge the world’s perceptions of what’s possible with video.”
There are a few rules to stick to: one admission per person, and content created within the last two years which is no longer than 10 minutes. It must also not have been used commercially or taken from a longer video. The cutoff date for submissions is July 31.
All entries will be narrowed down to a best-of 200, all of which will appear on the YouTube Play website. 20 videos will then be chosen by a team of professionals and these will be displayed in the Guggenheim.
Conclusions
It’s refreshing to see YouTube venturing into the arts in this way. Rather than sit on its laurels with the wealth of videos already being uploaded, YouTube is seeking to head in another direction. Which should be applauded.
And I’m keen to see the videos created as a result of this effort.
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