Video Diaries 2/6

This week in my film class we are exploring the medium of video, and looking at works by Vito Acconci along with other artists. Most of the videos have one thing in common: they address the audience dead on, individually. Which, of course, creates the feeling that you (the viewer) are having an intimate relationship with the character(s) on the screen. After viewing the Screen Dump V-Log festival I realized that Acconci's notes on Video were being applied in videos posted on sites such as YouTube as well. For instance, one video posted is titled "SadEyedAnimeGirl" and the girl addresses the viewer as she talks about everyday things. It's almost as if the character on screen is confiding in a diary, in which case the audience becomes the confidant.

We also viewed Lisa Steele's "Birthday Suit: With Scars and Defects" (video, 13 minutes, 1974). I was thrilled. The video was simple and direct, as Steele stands before the camera literally in her birthday suit and points out each of the scars on her body and the history behind them. There is something that I can not put my finger on, something about the simplicity of the piece that makes you want to watch it over and over again. Perhaps it is the complex nature of modern films and videos that contain plot twists and turns and character changes with every scene that makes Steele so fresh and appealing. I didn't particularly care for Sadie Benning's "If Every Girl Had A Diary". While Both Steele and Benning's pieces were simple, Benning seemed too emotional. Hmmm....ironically enough, I thought the only thing working for the piece was the accurate portrayal of confusion and anger 15-year-old Benning displayed. I think I just didn't relate to it as well as Steele.