Video Out

Forced being Forced

In this video her tired laugh persists. this laughter becoming more and more tired, forced, sinister, sarcastic, less laughter and more a tight movement of the jaw to represent laughter, a forceful pressure on the face to laugh even though she may want to spit or sleep. is this laugh "hers"? in this i watch her and see her face morph from child to adult from playful to fatigued to sullen to more fatigued. loosing and gaining control over her body, feeling/being watched. kim dawn is playing with questions of who owns her body, of bodily control and self-control and fighting for ownership even as a young child when all forces seem against her. she finds meaning and meaningless in repetitious gestures. of forced laughing, breathing-inhaling-exhaling, starring long and still relentlessly into the camera, at once pleadingly + accusingly. This video recently showed at a festival curated by Hank Bull in Sao Paulo. I am grateful to the Western Front for giving me this residency and the opportunity to produce such works.