(Screenshot image taken from the YouTube account of 'skunkpaste')
An old, rusted battered piece of siding. Twisty, jerky camera movements with sharper, brighter, more vibrant colors. A loud, unmelodic crushing ruckus. A lone, sedate voice in the forest continually saying “I don’t think so”. What does it all mean?
Could this be a near flawless abstract, post-modern expression of America’s failure in managing the coronavirus pandemic? The piece of siding is presented as an intrusion into a more natural world order. Its’ faded reddish hues clashing with the more natural green foliage in the background. At times we see a person stand on the siding, only for it to reappear free from any constrictions and able to slowly drift through the world conquering more territory. The vibrant colors seen in some of the images speak to its ability to garner attention and concern from its public, making it seem more intensely drastic and parlous than it really is. The loud screeching that is heard could be symbolic of the collective outcry of pain, misery and rage that has been inflicted into society due to this pestilence. The unwieldy camera movements, a symbol of the chaos and confusion of our leadership and its bungled attempt to combat the threat. On top of this is a calm voice that offers short, dictatorial statements that seem designed to limit or outright impede the common, ritualistic ambitions of humanity. It conveys anguish, volatility, aimlessness and submission. To some it may be another pointlessly obnoxious obtuse ‘art’ video, but I found the piece very fitting and pertinent to the times in which it was published.