How To
How to, by American video artist Connie Walsh, consists of five episodes of equal length, with a deliberate documentary feel. Each short segment features a person speaking about what he or she does for a living, which in each case seems to be more of a passion than a mere job. The way in which the portrayed people present themselves to the camera gives the recordings the character of a psychogram. Viewers gain insight into these people's personal idiosyncrasies and their viewpoints on their more or less unusual jobs solely through their detailed and theoretical descriptions, instead of being treated to any sort of filmed example of what they are talking about. A surfer, for example, is shown sitting in a car while he describes just how he catches a wave at the right time to ride it. Video is transformed here into a purely informative medium, which records 'reality' in the manner of a documentary. The camera becomes a psychological mirror that, if 'held up' to a person long enough, is able to capture all of his or her nuances. (Nadia Ismail)
About the video
About the artist
- 1966 in the USA.
Studied at Colgate University, Hamilton, USA, and Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, USA
