Damnation of Faust Trilogy

1987 · 22 min

1. Damnation of Faust: Evocation - Using "found" imagery shot in a SoHo playground, the first part of the Damnation of Faust trilogy explores the possible relations between childhood play and a woman looking on from outside. Without dialogue, the gestures of the characters become their primary mode of communication. Visual motifs of pillars and fans, achieved through video wipes, plunge the viewer into the image while building parallels of movement and feeling. 2. Damnation of Faust: Will-o'-the-Wisp (A Deceitful Goal) - The second part of the Faust project centers on the development of Marguerite, the female character in the Faust legend. 3. Evocation of Faust: Charming Landscape - The final work in the Damnation of Faust trilogy, ironically titled Charming Landscape, investigates the way in which the urban landscape is a place "where you lose your identity."

Directed by Dara Birnbaum