For me the beauty of this piece is that it captures the ritualistic preparation that takes place before a rock show.
Jarvis Cocker
Originally commissioned by Jarvis Cocker for the Meltdown Festival he curated at the Southbank Centre, London in 2007. Kiss My Nauman is a four channel video installation that references Art Make-Up, by American video artist Bruce Nauman, made forty years earlier.
Forsyth & Pollard cast the world’s longest running Kiss tribute band, Dressed To Kill, in the place of Nauman. Filmed in a single 47 minute take, each member meticulously applies their character make-up; Ash as The Star Child, Gary as The Demon, Trevor as Space Ace and Ian as The Cat Man. The resulting work is a compelling combination of reconstruction and revision, an oddly beautiful one-liner, a double-take of sorts and regardless of whether you ‘get’ the Nauman reference – a mesmerising experience.
The four protagonists apply their make-up in real time & there is a wonderful sense of calm & contemplation – heightened by the sense of an implied, impending performance.
Jarvis Cocker
