Prying.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Been watching clips of work by several different artists on UbuWeb today.

I've been struck by several of the pieces, but wanted to write a bit about Vito Acconci's video Prying. It's described as a video of a performance that he did with Kathy Dillon at a "New York University." My assumption was that it would be a pretty distant, impersonal documentation of the performance. From the little slice of Acconci's work that I'm familiar with, I should have known better! The camera is right in close up on Dillon's face while Acconci tries to pry her eyes open. For 21 minutes. Acconci is this faceless, mostly bodiless pair of aggressive hands. It's all about the woman's struggle against him.

I think this video is a wonderful example of an artifact from a performance that stands alone after the fact. I even question whether the intensity would be parallel if you had actually been witnessing the performance. I want to assume that it was as intense because of the dynamic that I know can carry between audience and performer even if you are not as close up as this camera. Presuming that's the case, the only was to transpose that emotion into a filmed format is to do exactly what they did: get in close.

My heart is still racing after watching this. There's also a wonderful breaking of the 4th wall about 15-17 mins in where Dillon's movement trying to escape the prying fingers knocks the couple into the cameraman and suddenly, the audience has been acknowledged - a hallmark of Acconci's work, but somehow more impactful here through that unintentional act than when he's demanding that you pay attention to him.