Myriam Thyes, Instant Salvation (2002), Video Pal, 3:00, stereo. Mother, Father and Son, Saviour. 3 Videostills.
Instant Salvation, 2002, video
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Instant Salvation

2002Video Pal, 3:30, stereo. Languages: DE / EN. Footage: DVD from the movie 'Terminator 2 - Judgement Day'.

A video collage with footage from a DVD of the movie Terminator 2 – Judgement Day by James Cameron, mixed with sentences out of the gospels of the New Testament, spoken by a female voice. The “saviours“ – the Terminator and the boy – and the visionary “Madonna“ – Sarah, mother of the boy – convert the black scientist to destroy his work and to sacrify himself: a tipically christian story of colonisation. Scenes from the film where christian moral clichees and myths of the saviour appear are combined with texts from the bible. This pathos is ironised by product placements.

Images

Until the mid-2000s, the resolution of video and television images was still very low. Even the technical quality of a DVD was far inferior to that of a feature film, and its original 16:9 aspect ratio was cropped to 4:3 on the DVD. However, Thyes appreciated the colourfulness and pixel structure of these old video formats and television interfaces, which lent the videos and still images a painterly quality.

Quotations from the bible, New Testament:
Mattew 11, 28-29: Come to me, all you mourners and carriers of burdens.
Luke 1, 46-48: My soul glorifies the Lord, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.
Marc 1, 11: You are my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.
John 12, 50: And I know that his commandment is life everlasting.
Luke 7, 48-50: Your sins are forgiven; your faith has saved you.
Luke 22, 19: This is my body which is given for you.

Festivals and Awards

  • 2011, 03 Proyecto Circo, Week of the Francofonia, Havana, CU
  • 2007, 06 Overlap 06, Rx Gallery, San Francisco, US
  • 2006, 10 Female Short Cuts, cinema BlackBox, Dusseldorf, DE
  • 2004, 04 Press Play Video series, Pittsburgh (PA), US
  • 2003, 09 Next 5 Minutes, Festival for Tactical Media, Amsterdam, NL
  • 2002, 08 Hafenlichtspiele (Open Air by Filmwerkstatt Düsseldorf), Dusseldorf, DE

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