Elodie Pong, video artist, born in Boston, lives and works in Zurich. In her short film, After The Empire, cultural and historical icons intermingle in an absurdist scenario: Marilyn Monroe woos Karl Marx, a Japanese girl dressed as Mickey Mouse reads a sex ad, Elvis recites his lyrics with zero affect, and Robin coyly wins Batman’s love and affirmation. Pong has a degree in anthropology and sociology, and her intention in commenting on globalization and contemporary pop cultures is clear, but this particular film seems to beat you over the head with its obvious cast of pop icons and its B movie styling. Pong interrupts the absurdity with a poignant confession of a Swiss woman, who tells the story of how her father died before she and her illegitimate sister were able to ever meet him. As humorous and biting as it was (Batman kissing Robin; the Japanese Mickey Mouse declaring, “My pussy is the new black.”), it all seemed a little forced. I think here of Catherine Bay’s Snow White project, which inspires similar discourse, but with much more subtlety.
Pong achieves this subtlety, however, with Even A Stopped Clock Is Right Twice a Day, a humorous short film in which taxidermied birds discuss the current global economic crisis. That is, we read their Hannity & Colmes-like dialogue through subtitles, hearing only the howling winds of what seems like a remote Galapagos island. In this film, Pong creates more conviction, as the focus is simpler, less all over the place. There are only birds, wind and subtitles – very effective and funny.
