Dark Into Dark

1979, 19:28 min, color, sound

This psychologically charged performance focuses on light and darkness, need and rejection, and the relationship of the performer and the audience. In a dark space, the viewer can hear Palestine humming and whispering to himself. Very slowly his eyes and then his face appear, as he addresses the viewer — "you" — in a tone that is alternately threatening, cajoling, laughing or accusing. As he moves into the light and then recedes, the darkness becomes a metaphor for the safety of ignorance and isolation. Palestine's monologue, with its emotional extremes, is a personal, confrontational tirade, as he emerges from the darkness and accuses the viewer of being the source of light.

Produced by Jude Quintiere, Composer's Forum.