St.Auby, Tamás: Bloody Film (1968/2010)

The work is part of a series of objects that St.Auby created in Hungary. The closest relative of this film canister made out of tarnished metal and fixed with orange duct tape is 7 dkg of Ground Lens (1965): both works are based on a conceptual re-evaluation of new technologies (photography, 16mm film) that had become widely accessible and easily operable by that time. The work can be interpreted as a black box, as there is no way of knowing whether there is any recorded material on the 16mm film reel inside. The reel is made up of multiple different pieces, it is in bad condition, and drenched in chicken blood. For all we know, it might contain a film fragment documenting an action, or it might just be a found object. It is a readymade that, if we consider the date written on it, may also carry political meaning. KD