Whirl, 2015
Single channel HD video with sound
6 min 56 sec
Whirl centres on spirituality as a force that exists both in its own right and as something that can be (mechanically) produced - a simulacral spirituality, if you wish. The artist is positioned in between the undulating veil and the hairdryer that represents her will, constantly moving and being moved.
This work also borrows from the hyper-real aesthetics of shampoo commercials that often use the language of liberation to sell their products. As a personal anecdote, the encouragement I received immediately after unveiling led me to believe that removing the veil should be a shampoo commercial type experience, which it was not. Whirl explores that memory while throwing into question the inherent assumptions between unveiled/liberated/beautiful and veiled/oppressed/abject.
Acknowledgements
Photo and video credit: Meg White