Art Lies, Volume 52, Fall 2006 Page: 18
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A,
_
4,
Oliver Pietsch, Performance, 2002
00:9:40 DVD loop
Courtesy Goff + Rosenthal, NYCThese unplanned, priceless moments or "errors in the transmission"
remind us of the simple fact that when we draw back the curtain, we
will most likely discover a puny wizard. The trick is to know when to
look for a curtain. The subtle difference, I guess, resides with intent-
whether an audience is meant to knowingly participate in the specta-
cle and when we are drawn into an illusion-and to interpret images
at face value. A simulacrum such as the Church of Euthanasia uses
artifice to let audiences know that what they see is staged, while a
newscast uses the same tools to convince us what we perceive is real.
The end result can be drastically different, as drastic as the public's
reaction to a religious leader rallying a crusade with the war cry "God
wills it," or a political leader commanding armies in the name of "free-
dom." Of course, the message is taken a bit more literally than an invi-
tation to Eat a queer fetus for Jesus.
While the latter can in all rights be declared inflammatory, incon-
siderate and crass, the former examples mobilize armies against real
human beings who bleed real blood. The pen may be considered adeadly weapon, able to wound more sensitivities at once than a sword, but
it has nothing on the image consultant. In other words: cause of death...
assault with a deadly microphone and makeup kit. Television has, of course,
played a huge role in this, an accessory to the perfect crime of the murder-
ous image; many an eloquent and knowledgeable political candidate has
lost in favor of an opponent with a dazzling smile.., it is, after all, video that
killed the radio star. The most explicit example of this is perhaps the U.S.
Presidential Campaign of 1960 when Nixon lost to the handsome and char-
ismatic Kennedy-the first presidential debate ever televised-and also the
first time a team of image consultants was directly involved. The role of the
soon-to-be First Lady in this unexpected political upset was pivotal as well.
Hail to the thief...
IV
Roll credits
But allow me, if you will, to take this argument a step further and to return
to the all-important notion of the "backstage" and the "making of," for here18 ARTL!ES Fall 2006
16L
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Bryant, John & Gupta, Anjali. Art Lies, Volume 52, Fall 2006, periodical, 2006; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth228017/m1/20/: accessed March 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .