First Kiss is an impossible re-enactment. Asked to produce a short video work inspired by the themes of childhood and (loss of) innocence, Forsyth & Pollard cast two young actors as themselves to reconstruct for the camera a moment that never happened – their first teenage kiss. In reality, they met at art school aged twenty.The work takes as it’s starting point the first ever on-screen kiss, filmed by Thomas Edison in 1896.There’s no script or dialogue, just the awkward hesitation of two young people giving themselves to a moment, real or imagined. The photography and grading was influenced by classic movies from the artists’ teenage years, such as The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire. The work also draws influence from Andy Warhol’s The Kiss, and continues the long line of on- screen kisses kicked off by Edison over 100 years ago.The soundtrack was written and performed by legendary Scots musician Joe McAlinden.
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