Being Looked At

Part 3 of 5 · Five Studies on the Gaze
Year
2007
Length
3′ 55″
Format
Single-channel video

Five studies on the gaze inspired by T. S. Eliot verses "And the unseen eyebeam crossed, for the roses / Had the look of flowers that are looked at."* Registered in the Forbidden City of Beijing, at places where visitors from the interior of China stop to observe the relics of the emperor: thrones, gardens, pavilions, doorknobs, etc. Some of these relics could only be seen through the reflections of the crystals, others could be touched, and in certain places visitors stop to be photographed next to them, giving the camera to another to be portrayed. The video series on the gaze is composed of the following chapters: "Looking through", "Looking at", "Being looked at", "Looking at herself" and "War of gazes". The soundtrack uses a piece composed by Marchelo Mercado.

* T. S. Eliot, Four Quartets.