Please Don't Let It Be Too Close- Video links and exhibition shots
Please Don’t Let It Be Too Close is a feature length video examining the 2020 U.S. election and the extraordinary circumstances of experiencing it during the COVID-19 pandemic. The video and exhibition of the same name were installed at SPACES in Cleveland, Ohio. For the installation, I recreated a large campaign yard scene, complete with actual lawn signs collected from the Cleveland area, displayed on a fake lawn surrounded by wallpaper images of local houses.
As part of my virtual residency, I interviewed residents from Cleveland, the broader Midwest, and New York City. These interviews became the basis for performance reenactments featured in the video. The full-length video blends stories from interviewees with re-creations of candidate endorsements, news accounts of COVID-19 deaths, anti-mask protests, and the police brutality that led to the murder of Black and Brown people. The piece also incorporates footage from protests during George Floyd’s murder, social media posts, and memes.
The video culminates in a dialogue with cultural theorists Arlene Dávila, Laura Rachovitch and Jehan Robeson, followed by a reading from Suzan-Lori Parks’ 100 Plays for the First 100 Days. The title reflects a term used by poll workers, wishing for a smooth election count, free of complications.