Whoa Whoa Studio (for Courbet) (2000)

What...did I just watch? I have to admit, I had to watch it two more times after reading the artist's personal message in order to understand the art. When you first watch the clip, between the strange and creepy child's voice echoing "woah woah woah" like a broken record, and the pregnant woman painting with a claw hand, it's hard not to find it rather strange and a bit comedic. The problem though, was that I wasn't entirely sure why I was smiling..and i'm not sure that was Cheryl Donegan's intent at all. It just seemed so absurd at first, that I couldn't help but convert my confusion to amusement. Instead, Whoa Whoa Studio is actually an interesting piece that really taps into fantasy and a dreamlike state. Yes, the visual is bizarre, but there are definitely some interesting film techniques being incorporated. For example, the use of mirroring images, such as the claw drawing a picture on a computer monitor and it appearing instead on the canvas. I'm sure there is some deeper meaning behind the gestures, the helmet, and the pregnancy...but for now, I'm not sure if i'll ever find it. Maybe you guys will notice something I missed:

http://www.ubu.com/film/donegan_whoa.html