USA,
1993
Shown in 1994
CREDITS
- dir
-
Lynn Hershman
-
COMMENTS
Screened as part of retrospective tribute. Lynn Hershman in person at 1994 Festival.
So what is an artist like Lynn Hershman, known for her personally revealing works, doing in the high-tech realm of media experimentation? There is nothing more personal than an artwork that acknowledges our presence, even offers us some say in the ultimate outcome of the experience. Hershman successfully executed Lorna (1979-84), the first interactive laser disc made by an artist, which presented the multifaceted story of an agoraphobe. Deep Contact (1984-1989) followed, with the expanded potential of touch-screen controls that gave us access to a multitude of sexual fantasies. Now Hershman premieres Room of One's Own, an electronic "peep show" that confronts viewers with their own voyeurism. Seductive laughter entices us to peer through a peephole behind which we spy a dim room, complete with miniature furnishings. The occupant, a provocative, aggressive woman, accuses us of violating her privacy. Averting our eyes is not good enough—Room of One's Own can track our gazes, adjusting the admonitions to match our guilty pleasures.
—Steve Seid
FACTOID #88
Steve Cochran, the American actor who starred in Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1957 SFIFF entry Il Grido, demanded a private screening of the film before it could be shown to Festival audiences so he could ensure that scenes that had been censored in Italy had not been cut from the print. Cochran, who had American distribution rights to the film, got a screening’delaying the film’s 8:30 start time for ticketholders.
