More Jon Rafman

You, the World and I
You, the World and I (2010, 67MB, 6:10 min)

Another piece from Jon Rafman, and whilst it’s made with the same dexterity,
wit and inventiveness as all his work this one doesn’t quite hit me in the
same place as the others we’ve posted.
(Don’t get me wrong – this piece would garner unstinting praise were
it from most other people – it’s just that Rafman sets the bar high for himself).
It’s something to do with the closure-as-a-story.
It’s a bit too neat. The found material seems deployed as an aid to
story-telling rather than dripping with the glorious uncertainty and
ambiguity that chartacterised some other earlier work.
(An analogy: the difference between a Rauschenberg Combine
and a picture in shells at a seaside gift shop. Not that extreme here, of course)
None of which is meant to imply that it isn’t worth at least 12:20 min of your time…