The Machinist's Lament backdrop
The Machinist's Lament poster
Trailer
The Machinist's Lament
8.0
|
0h 18m
|
2014
|
Released
Overview
"In factories, everyone has their place. Western industrial production is a site of magical thinking: an old history that will never return, an idealized construction that never really was. It's impossible to know what the true costs would be if it were to return - societal, environmental, and psychological – and yet, entire political campaigns are built around this. This piece speculates on re-industrialization, and is a sequel to my 2013 video, Safety First (Bad, Don’t Touch, Mercy!). Like its prequel, it posits a non-specific future populated by female factory workers. The geometric aesthetics of power and the romance of industrial-era alienation, are paired with theoretical and fictional texts about alternate social economies. Video footage was shot in Ohio, animation and soundtrack by the artist. Voiceover text sources include Industrial supply catalogs, OSHA safety manuals, Monique Wittig’s Les Guerilleres, and Adorno’s Minima Moralia." -Taken from Jen Liu's Vimeo page.

Cast
Wang Si poster
Wang Si
CHOREOGRAPHER / MASK DANCER / TEST SUBJECT
Xu Mengchen poster
Xu Mengchen
Test Scientist
Joelle Lingat poster
Joelle Lingat
Test Chorus
Katherine Hamilton poster
Katherine Hamilton
Test Chorus

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