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DOUBLE LUNAR DOGS

Joan Jonas (US)
1984, color, sound, 24:04 min.

Trøndelag Center for Contemporary Art, March 30 – May 1, 2016

Lost in space – Joan Jonas – Double Lunar Dogs – stillbildeLost in space – Joan Jonas – Double Lunar Dogs – stillbilde

Inspired by the science fiction story Universe by Robert Heinlein, Double Lunar Dogs is an Orwellian vision of post-apocalyptic survival aboard a drifting spaceship whose timeless travelers have forgotten the purpose of their mission. To recapture memory and create a continuum between their unknown origin and uncertain destination, the characters in this disjunctive, philosophical narrative play metaphorical games with words and archetypal objects. To depict this fantastic voyage, originally produced as a performance, Jonas uses sophisticated imaging techniques and special effects, condensing time and space in a stylized, abstracted video theater. This symbolic narrative conveys a profound sense of dislocation and isolation.

Joan Jonas (b. 1936) is an influential artist, and in the early 1970s was among the first to combine a bodily oriented performance art with experimental video. She quickly gained a position as a key player in video art. Many of her early work focuses on body, gender and identity, while in her recent work is more characterize by universal stories.

Author/Director: Joan Jonas. Director of Photography: Michael Oblowitz. Additional Camera: Skip Sweeney, Steina Vasulka, David Aubrey. Music: Richard Teitelbaum, The Residents, Yello, Anton Fig, Barney Bailey, Simone Forti. With: Spalding Gray, Joan Jonas, Jill Kroesen, John Malloy, David Warrilow. Editors: David Aubrey, Marton Brown. Produced by Joan Jonas in association with the TV Lab at WNET/Thirteen, the Contemporary Art Television (CAT) Fund and the WGBH New Television Workshop.