Dim Beam Simulcast (2109) by Amia Megumi Yokoyama

This gallery in Bushwick had an art installation with a giant painting that dragged on the floor, complete with slippers to walk onto the painting so you could get even closer. It was a Friday night and there were lots of people talking loudly. I was reading the artwork’s description when I read that she also made video art, and low and behold behind a crowd of people was a puny flat screen on the wall playing a 24 min video on loop. The video clearly had dialogue, but the poor speakers were nothing for the mass of people, so I tried to gather as much as I could from the visuals. I never grasped the story without the dialogue, which makes me consider all of the considerations for gallery video art. The imagery without dialogue or context felt like a random assortment of imagery to just be weird. There was a sterile hospital environment with workers working by themselves wearing colorful experimental or futuristic clothing. One person on a typewriter was eating candy and getting scolded for something. In another scene, it appeared to be some sort of control room where everyone still wore the same type of clothes but with old computer keyboards and a girl dancing on a pole. There was some tension that broke out, but without dialogue it was unintelligible. Overall, it was a let down because of the sound, and I would like to hear it in another context, like youtube!

Dim Beam Simulcast (2109) by Amia Megumi Yokoyama