Item MS-3-46, 1985-001A - Centre for Art Tapes compilation

Item is a compilation of video works created with assistance from the Centre for Art Tapes : CFAT Promo; Gwen Noah performance; Art-Kik Power; Crossing the 49th; Self-Hypnosis; Debert Bunker: By Invitation Only; Look Up (the Sky is Falling); Survival: Still the Issue; Catie; Our Two Cents Worth; We Will Rebuild; C.D. Latter's Natural High; Who Says?; In Trouble With the Law; Warships.
Description of the video prepared by Centre for Art Tapes is as follows: CFAT Promo: ad that was played every other year on Halloween. Catie: In this video the audience experiences a one-on-one encounter with another human being, seemingly without intervention of medium used. The person in question is an Acadian woman in her mid-70’s, whom the viewer meets at home. Catie relates numerous aspects of her life in an unabashed manner, revealing her as someone who has survived hard times with grace and dignity. Brousseau explains at the beginning how this video is one of a pair (the other being ‘Mother’s Days’) which explore the shifts in moral outlook from generation to generation. By dealing with his relatives, Brousseau and camera are able to capture a particularly candid and entrusting view of the subjects, giving insight into personal aspects of their lives, at the same time showing some of their more universally shared qualities.Crossing the 49th: “It has been arranged by the intermales and underdykes of the U.S.A. and Canada, to unite in the union of the World’s first totally gay nation. Come on now, cross the 49th.” Crossing the 49th is a narrative fantasy dealing with the notion that the total population of Canada could be swapped with the entire American gay population. The tape uses several methods to address this fantasy: blue American and red Canadian lips share ideas; keyed text in the guise of airport codes and clauses float across the screen; sections of slow-moving, bleached-out shots help create a dreamy effect that runs the entire length of the tape. Debert Bunker: By Invitation Only: The occasion of this tape was a military coordinated rehearsal of emergency measure in the event of a nuclear war. This dry-run, which had officials (mostly men) seeking shelter from fall-out that the underground bunker at Debert, NS might provide, became the focus of non-violent collective activism from several maritime-based affinity groups (mostly women). The narrative alternates action footage with commentary from group representatives. The intention was that of describing and documenting the processes and symbolic gestures employed by each group. Women from the action had not previously used video made important contributions to production. The tape uses interviews inter cut with live dramatic performance, live ritual, live footage. as well as stills and medical clips. Voice-over and live sound are both used.