Mouthpiece (1978)

In the minute-long 1978 video Mouth Piece, there are two planes of image: in the background is the lower half of a face (the artist’s) with mouth at the center; in the foreground is a graphic depiction of red, electronically generated lips that move as a transparent motion picture against a violet background. The actual mouth manneristically blows a loud kiss as the red lips move precisely in front of it, and after repeating it four times vibrates the lips (blowing-sputtering, sounding like a child) and then sticks the tongue out with a loud throaty “Ahhh.” This primitive articulation takes language down to the physical bottom line, like the sound of the word Dada that’s baby talk. And it creates an interface between physical and electronic linguistic acts––a simple, even ridiculous version of the threshold between person and electronic art. The title spelt as two words is axial, suggesting “a piece about the mouth” and at same time “mouthpiece”; the latter seems light-heartedly to pick up on the etymology of persona as the sounding through the mouthpiece of the mask in ancient Greek drama.