still from video , Untitled “I” (2008)

still from video , Untitled “I” (2008)

Performance of a modified chess game‭: ‬based on embedding 64‭ ‬identical pawns‭ (‬white‭) ‬on a chessboard from two opposite sides of the board while constantly rotating around the table in a ritual-like repetition‭, ‬a game of positioning and embedding pawns in spaces considered a stronghold in order to fight the‭ ‬“enemy”‭; ‬an enemy that is being defined and redefined constantly‭. ‬With a text from Rifleman’s Creed looped appearing on the screen‭, ‬an extract‭ ‬from Full Metal Jacket by Stanley Kubrick‭. ‬

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20‭ ‬minutes video‭ ‬

loop‭ ‬

Text from film :

Rifleman’s Creed :This is my rifle. There are many like it but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy, who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will. Before God I swear this creed: my rifle and myself are defenders of my country, we are the masters of my enemy, we are the saviors of my life. So be it, until there is no enemy, but peace. Amen.