In the Land of the Elevator Girls

‘In the Land of the Elevator Girls is a travelogue through the land of electronic imaging in which geographies can be transcended and the images of electronic media offer glimpses into other, possible worlds. Steina takes as her first level of subject matter the urban scape of Tokyo, where young women, known as ‘elevator girls,’ offer introductions to the various floors of elaborate department stores. As they announce polite phrases of greeting and departure, the elevator doors open first upon crowds of shoppers, and then through Steina’s imaging upon landscapes of Japan, performance rituals, and urban scenes. Thus, at the moment when an elevator girl announces an arrival and the doors open upon a steaming volcanic landscape, the viewer is unexpectedly transported through the doors into another geographic realm.’ – Marita Sturken