Dec 11 2009

Digital Reflections on an Electric Mirror

Published by Jensen Rong under Brooklyn Museum - New Feminist Video

At first glance, one might look at this exhibit and dismiss it for another weird concoction of Modern Art.  I mean, you’re sitting (or standing, unlucky you) and watching seemingly unrelated videos of women doing wacky things over and over.

But if you squint your eyes a bit, you might catch a quick glimpse of a deeper meaning.

Yes, all the videos are different, but the same in many ways.  A woman flipping out on a subway and a snappily-dressed woman cutting a bush awkwardly with a weedwacker both scream “I hate you society.”  They’re doing actions that defy social norms, not only for women, but also for any sane-thinking person in general.

These women are acting in ways that show their disregard for what others think of them, which is the essential spirit of the Feminist movement.

The explanation card states that these repetitive motions are representative of the stubborn thirst of progress of the Feminist movement.

4 responses so far




4 Responses to “Digital Reflections on an Electric Mirror”

  1.   # Aon 12 Dec 2009 at 2:29 pm

    The “thirst of progress” is meant to be a good thing I’m sure. I think that even if it does show them as stubborn, the fact that they’re working towards “progress” is supposed to mean a lot…

  2.   # solanaon 11 Dec 2009 at 11:42 pm

    I think the pieces do have a goal in mind. The women are breaking free and do not care about what others think. I think this is an important turning point.

  3.   # Jensen Rongon 11 Dec 2009 at 4:12 pm

    I don’t think I would ever deny that it was a bad thing given the type of world we live in, even if I actually thought so.

    To be honest, I thought that these comparisons were loose-fitting, because they imply that the actions don’t have much of a goal in mind (i.e. such as the piece ‘Paralyzed’),

  4.   # Rhianna Mohamedon 11 Dec 2009 at 3:49 pm

    Do you think “thirst of progress” is good or bad?