Like a Hole in the Head, Part 2, HD single channel video, duration: 8:00 min., 2009.
It would seem that we are living in an age where the human body is revealing itself in increasingly finite detail by way of cultural, scientific and technological developments; unraveling strings of genetic code, sophisticated medical imaging devices, televised autopsies and horrific hi-def Hollywood vivisection’s. I began to wonder whether the body itself may offer some form of resistance in the face of such hostile scrutiny. Some kind of ancient immune response lurking deep within the pathology, which, when triggered, would raise the cellular barriers and unleash an angry slew of chemically charged projectiles in the defense of the last vestiges of mystery.
Part reflection, part allergic reaction, the violent low-tech fumbling of Like a Hole in the Head Part 2 functions as an appropriate outlet for anyone suffering from an overdose of ‘reality’ whilst offering up a rare glimpse of the kamikaze guardian of secrets, the protector of our imaginary selves.
Artist Statement
Robin Hungerford is a Sydney based artist whose work utilises a diverse range of media and techniques including performance, papier-mâché, drawing, video, kinetic installations and, on occasion, live insects and animals. Hungerford is particularly interested in the way in which technology shapes our culture, the perception of the world around us as well as the interior world of our own bodies. He sees his work as providing a space where it is possible to reintroduce a sense of strangeness to aspects of the world which have been perceptually frozen in place through processes of scientific dissemination and technological alteration.