You May Break

You May Break 1983, pivots on a taut relationship between sound and image in time. The work embraces the qualities and limitations of the medium of analogue video.The work opens with a screen so luminous that the subject is barely discernable, the audio, a faint rustle. The subject is revealed through repeats, as the luminance is adjusted toward the norm; cut into these sequences are close ups, of petals, thorns and broken glass, macro shots of – what will come. Next a wider shot of the vase of roses on a mantelpiece. An arm picks up the vase, and the image judders into slow motion, accompanied by a startling rise in volume. The arm brings the vase smashing down, and a ‘glitch’ repeatedly rips across the screen. The ‘glitch’ is integral to the shuddering slow motion, made when the videotape was dragged across the record heads to change the speed; it’s a destructive process leaving its trace across the image. Smooth slow motion was not an option in this works 1980’s video edit suite.