Cat and Mouse, Gwen Burton, 2008
There is quote that a friend of ours attributed to artist Jack Smith that goes, "If you have nothing to do, do it on film." The quote could be a hoax or wrongly attributed, and as far as we know Gwen Burton could also be a hoax, a bunch of wrongly attributed quotation or even a failed viral marketing experiment spinning out of control.
There is quote that a friend of ours attributed to artist Jack Smith that goes, "If you have nothing to do, do it on film." The quote could be a hoax or wrongly attributed, and as far as we know Gwen Burton could also be a hoax, a bunch of wrongly attributed quotation or even a failed viral marketing experiment spinning out of control.
It is clear though, that whoever or whatever controls the screen persona of 'Gwen Burton' is a prolific uploader of video and sound recordings on user generated content sites, myspace and youtube and this persona is deftly tracking down people 'doing nothing' on film.
Some Owl Cave favorites are included in this post.
How Chicks Got Invented, Gwen Burton,2008
Most of Burton's videos are stuttering collages of found footage, remixed scenes from Hollywood movies, exercise videos, cartoons, vlog posts and home video.The resulting body of work shares some uncanny similarities to work made by videomontage makers, Martin Arnold, Bruce Connor or more recent work by Jackie Salloum.
Futureworld Dreams, Gwen Burton, 2009
How Chicks Got Invented, Gwen Burton,2008
Most of Burton's videos are stuttering collages of found footage, remixed scenes from Hollywood movies, exercise videos, cartoons, vlog posts and home video.The resulting body of work shares some uncanny similarities to work made by videomontage makers, Martin Arnold, Bruce Connor or more recent work by Jackie Salloum.
Futureworld Dreams, Gwen Burton, 2009
Discovered Dances, Gwen Burton, 2008
Like these artists Burton seems to be looking for subliminal messages, the occasionally ugly truths concealed by video in its normal state.
While most user-generated video collages on youtube are critiques of external targets, mocking things 'out there' (the absurdity of mainstream media, public figures, or other internet users) Burton's videos often stare uneasily into the mirror.
Her videos are camouflaged, blending in with the countless other youtube confessionals and vlog posts, and play on this general tendency of the internet to enable oversharing and providing T.oo M.uch I.nformation.
In remixed clips of vloggers sitting in front of web cams and screens, family and friends hanging out, driving around, eating dinner etc, she hyper-extends incidental sounds and gestures, looping them into beats, drones and incantations, presenting a parallel text, a subliminal message.
Secrets Come Part Mentalized, Gwen Burton, 2009,
Voice Noise Beat, Gwen Burton, 2009
Like in Martin Arnold's films the actors in Burton's videos are literally on the verge of saying something the audience will never hear. But, unlike the Hollywood stars in Arnold's films, who reveal hidden truths in the unconscious affectations of acting and cinematography, Burton's pseudo-vloggers are stuttering towards truths concealed in the performance of everyday gestures and speech, the performance of 'self'.
Like these artists Burton seems to be looking for subliminal messages, the occasionally ugly truths concealed by video in its normal state.
While most user-generated video collages on youtube are critiques of external targets, mocking things 'out there' (the absurdity of mainstream media, public figures, or other internet users) Burton's videos often stare uneasily into the mirror.
Her videos are camouflaged, blending in with the countless other youtube confessionals and vlog posts, and play on this general tendency of the internet to enable oversharing and providing T.oo M.uch I.nformation.
In remixed clips of vloggers sitting in front of web cams and screens, family and friends hanging out, driving around, eating dinner etc, she hyper-extends incidental sounds and gestures, looping them into beats, drones and incantations, presenting a parallel text, a subliminal message.
Secrets Come Part Mentalized, Gwen Burton, 2009,
Voice Noise Beat, Gwen Burton, 2009
Like in Martin Arnold's films the actors in Burton's videos are literally on the verge of saying something the audience will never hear. But, unlike the Hollywood stars in Arnold's films, who reveal hidden truths in the unconscious affectations of acting and cinematography, Burton's pseudo-vloggers are stuttering towards truths concealed in the performance of everyday gestures and speech, the performance of 'self'.
Metavlog, Gwen Burton, 2008
All videos via gburton
