Wednesday, June 22, 2011

GARETH PUGH S/S 2011 COLLECTION | VIDEO DIRECTED by RUTH HOGBEN



The Spring Summer 2011 film opens with an industrial looking box hovering in space. We automatically question the meaning of this metal box. Is it a metaphor for something bigger? Perhaps it represents the key to survival in a techocrazed-isolated world. This is Pugh’s effort to place a visual metaphor in his film to relate to a generation obsessed with technology: the box – could it perhaps stand for the television? The laptop? The ipad? The film then proceeds with dramatic deceptive visuals that embody a Blair-witch sort of sensibility. The disappearing and reappearing of scrambled frames along with ear-piecing screeches are haunting to watch. Again, they reference early forms of phantasmagoria in the magic lantern shows. The film proves the same as its previous sisters in using repetitive editing and kaleidoscopic visuals. We also experience reflections and fragmentation, again questioning ideals around the body and gender. We encounter a sort of albino alien creature, their head and upper torso; they appear to be naked but we cannot see if they are genetically a man or woman. Pugh continues to forge a path where consumers are becoming accustomed to the notion of an asexual being. The film itself resonates with this, as it is not sexual at all. It is all about performance. We do come across a Marilyn Munroe-esque moment with the white dress blowing above rising, intensifying wind. Pugh makes visual reference to classic Hollywood in this single moment. It is a clear example of period allusion. 

No comments:

Post a Comment