Poor Life of Dismay, video documentation
Roger Crait
October 26, 2006
Creative Access Description
Colour digital video of a solo piece of performance art. The video begins in a dark room with a flashing strobe light partially illuminating a figure lying prone in the darkness. A soundtrack of a number of industrial rock songs plays, each for a few bars before skipping to the next. A few nervous laughs come from the audience, as well as the sounds of a beverage can opening and bottles clinking together. The strobe stops and clunking and thumping sounds ring out in the darkness. The performer begins an tense monologue with rhyming verses, describing trauma and tribulations in his life. The lights come up revealing the performer, a young Indigenous man in a white t shirt with long dark hair tied back under a black toque, standing in a small room with a bed on the floor, objects scattered around, and scribbled graffiti on the walls. He grabs a beer bottle from the floor, removing the cap and throwing it aside. He paces back and forth with heavy steps, speaking about class, population, racism, politics, technology, and a variety of other topics. At one point he pours some beer on the floor before violently punching a hole in the wall. He continues his diatribe, railing against society's hypocrisies, drug and alcohol abuse, and poverty. Alternating between forceful expressions of anger, such as throwing his beer and shouting, and shows of despondence, sitting on a low stool and leaning into a corner. After a climatic display of anger, he appears to smash his head into the wall and hit himself with a bottle he is holding before collapsing onto the bed. The strobe light comes on and he stands up, opens another beer and storms off the stage. The lights go down and after a short pause, the audience applauds.Description
Video documentation of Roger Crait's performance Poor Life of Dismay.Identifier
2006.1026 POO V001Extent
1 Mini-DV tape, 00:09:42Tape Number
06-008Language
Artist
Roger CraitVideographer
Elaine MoyahRelated program
Poor Life of Dismay (Related)In copyright. For uses outside of Fair Dealing please contact grunt gallery.