TOTART: Natalia Abalakova & Anatoly Zhigalov
RUSSIAN ROULETTE
Performance
1985, December
Location: Artists’ flat
Duration: 45 min.
Material: Man and woman, a mirror 120x70 in a frame (a wardrobe door), film 8 mm 45 min., filmprojector 8 mm, tape-recorder, text, white wall.
Artists sit their faces to the mirror contemplating themselves and reflection of the film projected on the white wall behind where they sit their faces to the mirror contemplating themselves. Structure of the film: 7 min. 8 mm film of the artists sitting by the mirror were shot, then this film was projected to the screen and shot again, this second 7 min. film was projected and shot again and so on untill complete disappearance of images.
The Text has the same geometrical and mirror structure. The viewers could look either at the artists or at the wall.