JESSI REAVES

I don’t have the best attention span for video art. When I encounter it in the midst of anexhibition I usually resent the duration. I worry that I’m spending so much time on oneartwork when I could be seeing dozens of others, or that I’m coming into the work too closeto its ending. I do, however, envy and adore the medium for its contrast to sculpture: itsweightlessness and ability to be in two places at once.

At the time I started working on the video in this exhibition I didn’t have the title Reflectas one in mind, but I was thinking in personal terms. The idea here is obvious: the familiarvoices of the actresses in The Women have been cut and collaged, aiming to create the effectof a movie playing in the background while passively watching it. Perhaps you miss animportant part of the plot and the movie takes on a new meaning in its absence. My nieceis the main character — but my hope is that all of the actresses reflect as one person. I likeusing the image of a young girl as a stand-in for myself, mostly because she is relieved ofseriousness and control. Her loose movements and innocence easily contrast the melodramaof the appropriated audio. Through strategic cropping and replicated parts of costumes, thecharacter travels through different stages of life, or different parts of a fantasy about theirfuture.

In contrast to my original interest and intention with video, I’ve wound up re-packaging ageneric monitor as a sculpture. The sculptures work hard to distract from the video, even ifsome offer an opportunity to sit and watch. Maybe something’s digging into your back, theoutline of a Hollywood star making a temporary impression through your shirt?