Rhea
In Rhea (1982), Askevold elaborates on his interest in allusion and implication, using images that seem to be fragments of a larger narrative to suggest, rather than tell, a story. This piece consists of a series of close-up shots of numerous people, each stating a name or phrase. The shots gesture towards the type of staged reaction shot, often used in soap operas or made-for-TV movies, interrupting the linearity of the story.
David Askevold
Casts & Crew
Also Directed by David Askevold
"The preparation for this video was primarily psychological - to create an atmosphere of expectations of powerlessness to induce a frame of mind resulting in the appearance of a drug induced state. The camera work acts as a controller manipulator producing a hostage-like situation within an isolated environment. The origins of this tape was inspired by the short 1949 film by Kenneth Anger titled "Puce Moment" in which a 'heroine', for most of the piece, elaborately prepares herself to venture outside of her house." - David Askevold
A man who works for an "issues" related magazine comes to Herring Cove, N.S. to look at photographs by a female photographer for possible publication.
"The performer is framed within the open window facing the camera one story above the street below. When a car, van or truck passes below, he asks, 'what color is that car?' An off-camera voice, Jack Wendler, the gallery owner, describes the vehicle while the performer bites into a chocolate and describes its characteristics until another one comes along. This continues until all of the chocolates are gone." - David Askevold
"I strike the first pair of tuning forks on the edge of a table, raise and point them close to the microphone for their audible duration. they are placed in the middle of the frame in back of the mic. and the second pair is picked up repeating the same action. After the fourth pair has completed its duration, the sequence is repeated but this time they are placed outside the fame on each side. There is a third repetition where the forks remain, placed in the middle in back of the microphone. A simple scale progression is completed. The sound is recorded on audio tape separate from the film, so the sound and image gradually move apart. After the last pair is struck and positioned, the image goes blank and the sound continues for the amount of time difference between the image and audio." - David Askevold
Documentation of an exhibition at the Confederation Centre of the Arts, Canada, 1993-1995.
The room is dark and a recording of 14 tuning forks is playing in the room. The subject is asked to lie on a cot and relax. An overhead spotlight illuminates the face. She is asked to imagine a soft focus screen behind her eyelids where images will come and go and she is to describe what she sees. She is then told that she "will very soon" experience a violent form of death and I ask her if she is surprised this is happening to her. A consistent set of conditions begin to set in and the dialogue description of the images she is seeing and experiencing takes place. A mild form of hypnosis seems to set in.
Sixteen Candles is a recording of a constructed candle chandelier which is suspended by a cord, wound up and allowed to wind down for recording in continuous edited time. The sixteen birthday candles while burning down and finally going out, create a moody atmospheric video having the capacity to colour a space.
"it continued to rain all day for some reason people started to talk about Delaware no one knew anything about it no one had been there or knew anyone from there..."
Summary not available.
"Fill is my first video; the monitor becomes a picture-sound box. The screen is filled by laying sheets of aluminum foil on a microphone and wrapped one at a time and then unwrapped. The audio implodes during the wrapping and explodes as the sheets are pulled away from the microphone. Besides the obvious reading of physical filling, the title also refers to filling time or a 'filler' between television shows."- Askevold