Bjørn Melhus
Tjhe Oral Thing, 2001
Video, 8’, Loop
Edition 8 + 2 AP
The Oral Thing casts the TV host as evangelist. Descending as if from heaven he enters down a staircase to preside over two sisters cast as TV chat show guests/victims. Restrained by red and green plastic tubes the sisters have no means of agency other than talk, they are literally reduced to the oral. The sound is dubbed dialogue from the American morning chat show Maury and initially appears to be purely a parody of that format. However, increasingly the talk becomes darker.