Selected Works: Reel 2

USA 1972, video, b&w, sound, 14:19 min

realized by:

William Wegman

keywords:

self-appearance, animals, humor

notes:

Produced in mono.

cast&crew:

appearance:

William Wegman, Man Ray (the dog)

available copies:

Electronic Arts Intermix - EAI:

video, sound

available for rent

Video Data Bank:

video, sound

available for rent

synopsis: Video Data Bank, Chicago [http://www.speronewestwater.com, 31 Jul 2004]

1) Day's Activities [aka: Sanforized]
2) Flipping Coins With Man Ray [aka: Coin Toss]
3) Wegman And Monkey [aka: Monkey Business]
4) Laundry Detergent T-shirts [aka: Same Shirt]
5) Diving Board Accident [aka: Diving Board]
6) Drinking Without Germs [aka: Straw and String]
7) Wegman As Salesman -"Commander Model" [aka: Product]
8) "Hey Bill, Where Are Ya?" [aka: In the Cup]
9) Wegman With Dog Biscuit In Mouth [aka: The Kiss]
10) Biscuit In Glass Jar [aka: Treat Bottle]

synopsis: Copyright Electronic Arts Intermix, New York. See the EAI Online Catalogue for further information about this artist and work

In "Reel 2", Wegman plays with trust and manipulation - of Man Ray, of the viewer, of an imaginary "television audience." Using single objects, actions or ideas as premises for a series of monologues, he creates droll parodies of the exaggerated claims and hyperbolic rhetoric of television demonstrations and advertisements. Man Ray is also featured in a series of extended actions, in which the humor derives from the predictability of his canine behavior and the incongruous meaning assigned to it. Many of these actions appear to parody the indulgences of conceptual performance art: Man Ray pushes a bottle around the floor, trying to extract something from it. The piece lasts until the bottle breaks. Others rely on the dog's obedience and willingness to be manipulated: Wegman flips a coin, turns Man Ray around, flips the coin again, continuing to turn the baffled dog around and around.

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