THE MEDUSA PROJECT (AUTOBIOGRAPHY) refers to the relationship between women and power as depicted in both ancient mythology, and in postmodern culture. It represents my attempt to directly merge personal history and influences into the production of an installation which addresses my current interests - in the relationships which are emerging between feminism, technology and art. This mediawork is in keeping with my series of installations combining video with technological icons from the 1950's. A central component of this installation is a 6' high chrome hair-curling machine, typical of those found in beauty salons in the 1920's to1950's. The machine stands several feet out from a wall on which video is projected. A looped videotape collage of images locates the machine and the viewer in a semi-tropical landscape. Spanish moss hangs down from tree branches which reach out over clear, blue/green water. The colours of the water in the video projection produce a hyper-real effect. Stunning, sudden shifts of light; a breeze sweeping through the trees; the bubbling and churning of the water's surface at the source of a huge natural underground spring - constitute the only movement. Woven in among the wires and cables of the hair-curling machine, are strands of spanish moss, intertwined to emphasize this simulation of Medusa's hair of serpents. LCD monitors hanging down from the clamps, glow in various shades of blue, green and white.
Nancy Paterson |
