Mediated Performances

I chose to look at Peter Weibel's "Tap and Touchcinema" and "From the Map of Dogginess", both 1968.  The play between the two movies cannot go unnoticed.  First one of Weibel on a leash being led on all fours through streets led by Export.  This piece leads to ideas of empowerment and submission and for a role reversal from the perceived society norm of males having the power over females.  Export saunters as though she is very comfortable as she is undertaking a normal everyday act.  Weibel has his head down the whole time and being in dark colors as well looks submissive.  Export wears light colored clothing and looks happy and carefree.  There are few instances of public interaction and they seem to not notice anything astray until those people are actually up close to Weibel and Export as they bump into them.  There are no major reactions or interruptions from observers they think there is anything wrong with the act.  All stays calm around the duo.

My initial reaction upon hearing the voice of Weibel through a megaphone was comparison to footage of Nazi Germany and the propoganda rallies.  Megaphone sounds demanding and increases in urgency by noise level and speed of talking.  A huge crowd gathers around to wathc the scene and to see what is going on.  Some of the crowd are giggling, some are watching amazed, some walk hurriedly past, others stand watching for a long time.  The crowd varies in age.  Three men are filmed walking up to Export and putting their hands through the opening of the box she has strapped onto her chest.  Export greets them by looking into their eyes and then begins to watch a stop watch.  Export times them for around five seconds and their turn is finished.  There are no confrontations, Weibel does not stop his loud use of the megaphone and no-one in the crowd steps forward to intervene.  Two of the men are captured by the camera as they finish with Export and they look very satisfied and look to say thank you to Export and then Weibel.  They appear to be nodding and smiling as though giving their approval for what they have just experienced.  Export looks unflustered and unfazed.  We could assume that the males are touching her breasts but we can't see it except for one part where the camera captures one side panel of the box moving.  The piece plays on male mastery and domination of a female, her willingness to interact and be violated or offer her body for pleasure.  The tension created from Weibel offering Export up for consumption and Export seeming to not mind and be willing to be a consumable and the crowd interaction or non-participation in this act.  The scene plays on sex for consumption, violation, dignity, male domination and female willing or non-willing participation.  Crowd reactions include: (what could be read as suggestive) sucking an ice cream, incredulity, partaking in the scene, giggling and disbelief.

The comparison between the two movies shows the contrast between male and female roles and the acceptance of domination in a public domain.  There was little reaction to seeing a male dominated by being led around on all fours on a leash compared to the reaction of a woman's breasts being offered up for any takers in a public domain.  They were disturbing and interesting social experiments.  I think the question is whether either party, with Weibel on the leash and Export with the box, lose their dignity or power over themselves or were they willing participants and therefore lost nothing.

To me, it seems similar to the power play in William Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew", when at the end of the story, the question is posed that has the wife gained control over the man, now that they love each other and realize they are under the spell of each other.  Was the wife the shrew when she was so angry and resisted all attempts at affection or was the husband the shrew and he was tamed by the wife.  It poses the question of either one losing their dignity and strength because they relent to the wishes of the other.