Peter Campus -«Three Transitions»

Peter Campus
Yuni Kwon (DM-grad)

«Three Transitions»

“Three transitions” is a video piece made by Peter Campus in 1973. It is a sound and color movie and runs 4:53minutes. During the running time, three episodes are happened, showing himself. As he is mostly in the middle of the screen, the composition is horizontally and symmetrically balanced.

In first transition, he cuts his back by himself and goes into the break. Simultaneously, it appears that he is coming forward. As to say, his dual identities are exchanging their positions, out to inside or inside to out. And he fills up the hole by taping on it. To make the visual illusion possible, two cameras are installed in opposite sides of campus, facing each side of views. One is on his back and the other is on inside of campus. This technique is a kind of double exposure to overlap the two different images on the same scene at the same time.
In second part, his inexpressive face is appeared on large proportion of screen. In scrubbing his face with hand, he is erasing his surface. Another image of campus is gradually revealed inside of him. For representing this, “Chroma-key-effect” is needed.; ∞A chroma key is the removal of a color (or small color range) from one image to reveal another image 'behind' it. The removed color becomes transparent. (From Wikipedia) Through this special effect, he represents an existence of inner-self, which is overlaid with outer- self.
Additionally, he burns the picture of his living image by himself in the last episode. In this time, he superimposes the video image onto a burning paper. As time goes by, the picture image is disappeared. The other identity of him is removed for himself.

Throughout the whole movie, He was a figure, a positive shape located in ground, negative space. However, at some point, “figure-ground reversal” is happened. It means that a background becomes a foreground and the foreground becomes the background. In this work, since he continues to switch his exterior in the font and interior in the back, it is difficult to define whether one is inside or outside. He represent that the dual or multiple identities are mixed each other and bring them under the unanswered question, ‘who am I among the tremendous images of selves?’ Especially, multiple images created by photograph, film and video help to confuse one’s identity. He uses a property of video, which can articulate visual illusions and numerous false selves. Finally, he chooses a nihilistic way to escape from this situation by destroying another identity of him. However, it seems like the symbolic and ritual ceremony to burn something. His decision is quite conscious to be close to true self, refusing false self.

∞http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chroma_key