Surfing USA, Section 1 – 3, is a 90 minute video in three 30 minute-loops,
to be seen simultaneously. The piece was recorded in March 2003 and rough-edited in 2007 with footage of the
anticipated invasion of Iraq, Bush talking about Desert Storm, Cher, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Marlon Brando as the
Godfather, the Alamo, news, the weather, ads, paid channels, TV auctions, sports, and foreign movies. A kaleidoscope
of American culture, it is an amazing TV-video quilt of America, its media and its presumed preoccupations.
Because I am surfing, the viewer never gets the whole story but sees incidental connections and discovers ironies,
as humor and satire and tragedy emerge.
Living Room, July 2004, records an actual living room in a long still
shot recording voices on a television news program talking about the weather and Father’s Day. Human presence
can be heard but not seen. The video concludes with an outdoor shot, a view from the living room, animated by bird
song. It is a reference, literally, to the earth as our living room. In memory of Charles Jack.
Homemade was recorded in fall of
2001 as a requiem to 9/11 near my home. I am stretching time to call attention to death implicit in the season,
recording both my discomfort and solace in nature. In memory of Sue Roberts.
Head Light Space Travel was recorded in January 2002 and
addresses retinal intelligence and perception of real light emitted by time extended events. As in a previous segment,
the human presence can be inferred but cannot be seen.
Spring, recorded in May 2002 shows fauna springing to life
animated by a gentle breeze. This short video is about the joy of birth and the possibility of reneweal.
Crossing Death Door was recorded in July 2004 and documents a
ferry boat crossing Death Door (Porte des Mortes), a six-mile stretch of sometimes treacherous waters between the
mainland and Washington Island in northern Lake Michigan. The island was my home for many years, and the ferryboat was the only connection to needed services. While most of
the time rides were uneventful and calm, crossings often turned into adventures. My most memorable ride took place one night under clear skies with waves rocking and rolling. I felt like the compass
needle sojourning the universe, the stars dancing around me. In the darkness and on a rolling ship the usual
perceptual anchors were gone and space and I became one.The water projects predeeded the video.
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