A woman in a red suit watches while a woman wearing the Miss Universe sash receives commendation from Augusto Pinochet. Oversized subtitles reveal an experience of being burned alive by the Chilean military.
The same again; with each cycle the size of the image increases. The text reduces until the subtitles become fully legible and dwindle. To the sounds of clapping and strains of dark music, we see the burned woman speak.
With each cycle the size of the image decreases; the text increases until the subtitles grow so large only single words (commemoration, beauty, Chilean, Miss Universe) are legible.
Through repetition of performance, video creates one woman from two. Through repetition, identity is shared.
Text: Marty Spellerberg. Images: Eduardo Menz, Las Mujeres de Pinochet (Canada 2004, 11:00), courtesy of V tape.
Notes on V tape’s Curatorial Incubator, Round 2
- Introduction
- Blanca Casas Brullet’s Prendas
- Gunilla Josephson’s The Hedda Videos: Part 4
- Johanna Householder & b.h. Yael’s The Mission
- Laura Parnes’ Hollywood Inferno, Episode 1
- Eduardo Menz’s Las Mujeres de Pinochet
- Keith Sanborn’s Kritik an Reiner’s Vernunft
- Mirha-Soleil Ross’ Allo Performance!
- Ulrike Rosenbach’s Einwicklung mit Julia