air-hunger (ceiling), 3:00, 2003
Two-Channel Video Installation

The project, air-hunger explores issues of communication, sexuality and trust in relationships through the metaphor of what is traditionally scene as a children’s activity, chewing bubble gum. This video was filmed in the lobby of the Woolworth Building in New York City. The Woolworth building was built to resemble a cathedral with massive vaulted gold and mosaic ceilings. We were interested in the irony in doing a child-like activity like chewing bubble gum in a quiet and serene environment. The images also make an art historical reference to the touching hands of “The Creation” by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.

Each of the two videos presents the same image of someone blowing a bubble with bubble gum. In one video, the man and woman interact by blowing bubbles. These bubbles hit and miss. When the bubbles do connect, their air is shared and the sugary bubble gum provides a life-sustaining medium for a few seconds. The other video image is of the man and woman blowing bubbles individually. As one bubble deflates, another bubble emerges. All individual identity is lost as one image dissolves into the other. The light passes through the interior and exterior of the bubbles rising and deflating in an environment that is reminiscent of a church. The audio elements consist of a man and a woman breathing and the sound of someone nervously chewing gum.