Unspool

"In my performances I assume various
iconic personae, creatures who are always
situated as trapped, or on the edge of
breaking down. They are not characters
but personae, aspects of myself. I disappear
as they emerge." (Anita Ponton)

The isolated figure of the lone female is central to Anita
Ponton’s live performances that address such issues as
violence, power and silence.

In Unspool (12’), the performer gradually emerges
from underneath a heap of unspooled film in front
of the screen, eventually returning to her original
position. She responds to her video doppelgangers:
the two fade into one another and appear to speak
but are merely lip-synching. The words have been
taken from old Hollywood movies (Rebecca, Sunset
Boulevard, Vertigo, Dangerous Liaisons...) thence
reworked into the soundtrack, all the time addressing
the audience. The voices speak of discomfort, suicide
and madness, threatening the live female. While
referencing the film-noir genre, Unspool speaks about
the appropriation of personae with aspects of being
female and trapped in the image of femininity. This
piece was nominated for Best Female Performance at
the Dublin Fringe Festival, 2003.
(Unspool will be presented in conjunction with the film
and video program at 10:10 pm on Tuesday 11th
October in Kinodvor.) Milijana Babić

Organisation: City of Women
In collaboration with: Galerija Kapelica; Kinodvor; KUD France Prešeren