The Memorial Screening

2000, 11 min, b&w, sound

"The Memorial Screening (1974) is a faux video memorial comprised of photographs and home-video excerpts of me and my family. Intentionally set to mawkish 1970s pop tunes, the funereal video presents a portrait of me as a teenager in the wake of my presumed death. I'm remembered from three familial points of view, siblings, father and mother. The fictional portrayals exploit the connotative nature of photography to construe a tragic story. An installation version of the work was the focal point of a larger, exhibition, titled 'Nature Mort', inspired by a post-Columbine 'kids who kill' culture.— RB