Replay  2000

​PAL, 16:9, mono, colour 
Duration: 1.42”

Commissioned by Picture This, Bristol and the Watershed Arts Centre, Bristol for ‘Screen and Screen Again’, a touring exhibition in the South-West of England. 

Replay portrays a man and two women repeatedly running and jumping towards each other. The set construction forces the performers to jump into the same space over two hurdles, which are positioned in the centre of a long, narrow corridor-type space. The camera is predominantly focused on the moments when the performers meet in the centre of the space.

At each jump, the performers map out the distance between them selves whilst also encroaching on each other’s space and body to varying degrees. The power emanating from the fast and furious action presents a contest of physical and psychological strength between two people. The dynamic and rhythm of the work lies in the run-up followed by fleeting moments of close proximity and is enhanced by the original sound which is reminiscent of the sound of a firing line.

The work was inspired by the early video works of the 60’s and 70’s that portrayed performative action as an expression of physical and psychological endurance.