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Mediatheque
Dara Birnbaum 達拉．伯恩包姆
Damnation of Faust: Will-o'-the-Wisp (A Deceitful Goal) 浮士德的天譴：鬼火
1985
The second part of a three-part series drawing on Goethe’s famous tragic play—in which the scholar Faust makes a dangerous bargain with a demon in his pursuit of knowledge—this work by Dara Birnbaum showcases the expressive capacity of video as an artistic medium. In a shift in perspective, the work centres not on Faust but Marguerite, the woman he seduces and endangers. The young woman’s monologue on abandonment and memory is accompanied by a mournful electronic soundtrack. Birnbaum pairs close-up shots of Marguerite looking out her window, with views of children gathered in the street below. The expressive editing—with images appearing to emerge from a blank void—further heightens the sense of isolation and emphasises the divide between our inner worlds and the outer reality we share with others.
Initially trained in architecture, Birnbaum worked for the New York–based architect and urban planner Lawrence Halprin before pursuing a painting degree, and later video editing training. Exploring the parallels in architecture and media’s shaping of public space and social relations, Birnbaum frequently appropriates television footage and other popular imagery to critique the subtle power dynamics of mass media, often focusing on gender roles and women’s stories.
Initially trained in architecture, Birnbaum worked for the New York–based architect and urban planner Lawrence Halprin before pursuing a painting degree, and later video editing training. Exploring the parallels in architecture and media’s shaping of public space and social relations, Birnbaum frequently appropriates television footage and other popular imagery to critique the subtle power dynamics of mass media, often focusing on gender roles and women’s stories.
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