MASS MoCA, review by Erin Gifford

Drowning in Diabetes

by Erin Gifford

You walk into that dark room in the Oh, Canada exhibit at the Mass. MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) and feel like you walked straight into a nightmare. Projected onto one of the walls was an eerie video that starts off in the parking lot of a mysterious corporate building.  You see Ronald McDonald sitting in a car; he eats a happy meal and then proceeds to light a cigarette in silence.

The rest of the video depicts Ronald abysmally sitting in his car as it fills slowly to the brim with sparkling, balloon-filled, polluted water. The camera slowly circles the vehicle, occasionally zooming in and out. All the while, intense music vibrates the room and creates an ominous suspense. The short, 10-minute film ends with the water overflowing and spilling onto the asphalt below.

Montreal’s Patrick Bernatchez’s video, “Chrysalides Empereur”, (translates to Pupae Emperor; pertaining to insects) may relate to the way we all consume without end. This capitalistic consumption we partake in eventually resulting in our imminent demise; we unknowingly end our own existences. A perfect way to portray this wasteful consumption in society is with the figurehead of the McDonald’s corporation, one of the most globally successful corporations.  We drown in our own oblivion. A fantastic Canadian short film that is a must-see for any typical anti-consumer or your average anarchist.