Serra’s Verbs

Richard Serra, “Verb List Compilation: Actions to Relate to Oneself”
[1967-1968]

to roll
to crease
to fold
to store
to bend
to shorten
to twist
to dapple
to crumple
to shave
to tear
to chip
to split
to cut
to sever
to drop
to remove
to simplify
to differ
to disarrange
to open
to mix
to splash
to knot
to spill
to droop
to flow

to curve
to lift
to inlay
to impress
to fire
to flood
to smear
to rotate
to swirl
to support
to hook
to suspend
to spread
to hang
to collect
of tension
of gravity
of entropy
of nature
of grouping
of layering
of felting
to grasp
to tighten
to bundle
to heap
to gather

to scatter
to arrange
to repair
to discard
to pair
to distribute
to surfeit
to compliment
to enclose
to surround
to encircle
to hole
to cover
to wrap
to dig
to tie
to bind
to weave
to join
to match
to laminate
to bond
to hinge
to mark
to expand
to dilute
to light

to modulate
to distill
of waves
of electromagnetic
of inertia
of ionization
of polarization
of refraction
of tides
of reflection
of equilibrium
of symmetry
of friction
to stretch
to bounce
to erase
to spray
to systematize
to refer
to force
of mapping
of location
of context
of time
of cabonization
to continue

https://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2011/10/20/to-collect/

Look at the list of verbs and pick four to perform. Use your phone (in landscape orientation!) to film yourself (or a friend) exemplifying those verbs. You can use just your self, or you may introduce objects or props. Look at the linked video.

Digging Piece by Vito Acconci is a good example of a work that might exemplify one of Richard Serra’s verbs. Note that it not only exemplifies “to dig”, but “to hole”, and “to shorten” could fit as well.

Important!!!! Your goal with this assignment is not to simply illustrate. Your goal is to interpret creatively. Your solutions should be surprising, off the wall, funny, surreal, dark, stupidly complex or absurd.

Be Creative, keep your videos short and look for surprising solutions.
Each verb should have its own video, and the verb should be displayed on the screen as a title for the work.

Upload instructions:

All work should be turned in to the class OneDrive folder. You will receive a link in an email.

You must rename your files like this:

“Lastname Firstname-Action” so it will look like this

Davis Brian-To Twist

After renaming your videos, upload them to the link you received in your email. You should not have to sign in or anything. Make siure your videos have uploaded before you close the browser window! This is easier to do on a computer, but it is possible to do only on mobile. See me for instructions.

https://www.moma.org/explore/multimedia/audios/46/943

Wurm bd 1