Caravaggio video is part of the set of videos (Salvator Mundi, Gandhi and Salt, Architectural Triptych) from the early 1990s. I did research at a Photo/Slide library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC). I was interested in great works of art in itself and the nature of representation, documentation, and the literal physicality of the image itself. The most fascinating slides, the ones I ended using are first colored slides from the 1930’s documenting the works of art from their collection and their archive of the world’s architecture. The morphing of the image/painting itself into mediation trough different methods, technologies; from the chemical of slides, magnetically modulation of videotape, and morphing into digital format in the current state. Through all this meditation the spirit of the art image, in this case, Caravaggio’s Christ masochistic ecstasy breaks trough. This process of flow from one media to another creates inner motion of the image, it vibrates and is alive; here, where the video art comes in, the motion and the narrative are in the perceived static of the image. An interesting fact is that this Photo/Slide library open to researchers now doesn’t exist anymore, has been killed by new technology.
Slayer is the musical track part of the featured work. I used the Caravaggio video as a visual accompaniment to the music as a music video. The other version of the Caravaggio video is silent and approx. one hour long. Slayer music track I recorded approx. in 1994 at Dubway studio at Time Sq., NYC. It’s a dance track that I worked on with Robert Aaron, a great House music musician. He laid down music tracks except for drums, those were recorded by “Austrian the drummer“. I did the vocals, lyrics, and general musical direction, the track was produced by Robert. At that time, I had different art shows in NYC night Clubs where I presented this video, Limelight, Roxy, Tunnel, Fat Boy, and Super Club among others. In Super Club, it was projected on a large screen over the dance floor. A static image over people in motion. This connection to the dance floor made it a perfect feat to this dance track plus the lyrics. (Source: Emil Memon)