mubaafi (2012)
mubaafi was made with 3D anaglyph software. To function conventionally, it is required to use two copies of the same file to produce a depth enhanced image. This work intentionally corrupts this process to develop a commentary upon the framing of political discourse as delivered through the range of media channels available today. This video presents two distinct events that are intrinsically interconnected. These two videos articulate the modern version of public shaming on the one hand and public concern on the other. One video is filmed on a cell phone camera, recording the capture and death of Ghadaafi, while the other includes news reports on the declining health of Mubarak. Both of these men, and the events that surround these moments in their lives are directly connected to the foreign policy of the USA. This video intentionally conflates two different pieces of footage, aiming to question how the framing of the footage. In one, a calm studio-shot scene including moving graphics while the other is filmed as what seems to be an afterthought to the moment, a haphazard, shaky, scene that conveys the extremity of the event. In their own way, each clip creates an affect, and prejudices our reception.
This work is part of a trilogy or short pieces that meditate on the ways that news media use standardized aesthetic cues and props to prepare the viewer by asserting authority, and thereby claiming validity. These videos were made at the moment that citizen news broadcasts were starting to be made via youtube and other non-news media sharing sites. The other two works in the series are remediation in process and inrelief.
mubaafi was curated by Michael Hall in the exhibition "This is How My Brain Works" at Radiator Gallery. mubaafi was shown on two small self contained dvd players, hung back to back. They are held together by wire and cables, materials that are reflective of the violence in the videos. Through this combination, the relationships between american imperialism and violent uprising becomes visceral.
Installation shots included below.
