“New
and Improved”, by Voshardt and Sven Humphrey (2007,
2 min 21 sec), shows a manic flash-card script for
positive thinking and self-improvement. Overloading between directives
and objectives: “I am…, I can…, I will…”
the reader can’t prioritize between daily minutiae or life-changing
goals. The handwritten cards come from an actual exercise in behavioral
modification. It’s a poignant collision of conflicting ideals:
the remnants of a stringent work ethic vs. self-regulated emotional
development attempting to keep pace in a post-Fordist global economy.
“I
want to make a video about you”, by Chie Yamayoshi
(2005, 12:00 min). A young woman invites strangers found on the Internet
to act out intimate roles, friend, family member or boyfriend. The
piece unpretentiously delves into issues of cyber culture, racial
stereotypes, intimacy and anonymity, danger and fantasy.