Pipliotti Rist

It was actually more interesting and probably more insightful to read this article after having viewed a few of her works in class. This article contextualized the ideas that i was struggling to understand in her videos. Although i still don't think that i "see the way she sees" i now understand the method behind her madness.

The excerpt about "sip my ocean" caught my attention because it seemed to describe a different style of video than we saw in class. "gorgeous swirling imagery" amidst an "underwater fairyland" seemed more aesthetic than what i might have expected of Rist. I watched the video on youtube and saw the same themes portrayed in a much more subtle (and i think therefore more effective) way than "I want you to see how i see". The mirrored images create interesting optical effects and at times play well with the sexual theme of her pieces. What i found to be most interesting, however, was the idea of submerging oneself "into an all-enveloping sea of sensuality". She ties the very physical and tangible aspect of the senses into imagery and sound with this video. The metaphor became very real for me when she begins screaming "i don't want to fall in love" at the top of her lungs. This part was very moving and inspires an almost physical reaction in the viewer almost as if being dunked into a pool of water.