Missing Horse

2003, Video, 13:12 (Colour, Stereo) [clip]

by Erica Eyres

In Missing Horse, the child-like character slides onto the floor and into the view of the camera. The girl is wearing a white cat-mask that becomes an empty shell that sits awkwardly on her forehead. She claims that she is a deaf-mute and communicates by writing on a small pad of paper. She tells the viewer that she has lost her horse, and that if they happen to see him, could they please tell him about the letter she has written to him. The character forces her viewer to enter a slow pace. The viewer waits while the girl concentrates and writes each word in a child-like scrawl. The audience is asked to spend time with the subject so that they may establish a sense of intimacy together. Eventually, the deaf-mute unfolds pieces of her romantic story and longing, while maintaining a sense of secrecy that she keeps for herself.

ISBN 978-1-55467-423-7