Event 3 I This is the End

A few days after checking out the Provocations exhibit, my cousin and classmate, Martina Dorff, and I decided to head back to the Hammer Museum to see some of the other unique pieces on display.  We came across the special video curation of This is the End and checked out “Even Pricks” by Ed Atkins. I think it is safe to say that this piece was one of the weirdest videos I had ever seen and me and Martina are still talking about it weeks later.

Me and my cousin Martina

“Even Pricks” seemed to cycle between several featured themes. As we watched we noticed the repetition of intense forms of word art, thumbs/arms, and a talking monkey. To me the most enjoyable of these was the monkey as some of the word art and arm presentations made me feel uneasy. I could feel the intense surround sound in the room during these two themes and with the simultaneous oddities on screen, I experienced the work with three different senses. When the monkey came on screen in between the arms and words, I actual felt a relative relief.

The monkey during one of the more relaxing scenes

My thumb superimposed over one of the thumb shots

I am unsure if Atkins’ purpose in creating this work was to stir discomfort in his audience but what I do know is that his use of different technologies in creating this art makes it effective at stirring a response. The room’s surround sound certainly added to the high quality albeit weird visuals presented on screen. I think that whatever he was trying to convey, be it the uneasiness I felt or otherwise, the art would have been less effective without the use of cutting edge technology.

An example of some of the word art to which I responded, "No thanks."