The Big Reveal
2022
2 mins 24 secs (looping)
digitized 16mm black & white film with food dye
Single channel video
The Big Reveal (2022) explores representations of women and non-binary folks’ sexualities. Studying the history of moving image strip teases, the viewer’s expectations is challenged. The anticipated bare skin is enshroud in bright semi-opaque colours, creating body-shaped, flickering paintings. By subverting this expectation, the work avoids hyper-sexualization or pathologization of the bodies, and instead imagines a precious and dazzling vision of sexuality.
Originally shot on black and white 16mm film, the celluloid was then hand-developed in the darkroom and the individual frame-by-frame hand-painted using coloured food dye. This rigorous process echos the film colouring techniques practiced during the 1890s - 1920s (which was primarily executed by women), and involved painting nearly 2000 individual frames.
Exhibition History:
2022 “Watching You Watching Me”, Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society, Vancouver, Canada
2022 “Photo Show & Film Screening at WAVE”, curated by Rainbow Tunnel Films, Wave Collective Space, San Francisco, USA
2022 “BFA Graduating Exhibition 2022: Collecting Plum Blossoms”, Audain Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
Special thanks to Sena Cleave, Debbie C., and Vitória Monteiro for their participation in this project.