Muse

Characteristic of much of Gillette's work—which treats video as a field of light, movement and reflection—Muse extends beyond optical sensation to engage the viewer in metaphysical contemplation. The dilemma of human rationality in the face of nature's unswerving course is stated by the narrator: "This is senseless. Shall I make sense or tell the truth? Choose either—I cannot do both... To be at all is to be wrong...." Over quiet landscape images, the narrative builds to a claustrophobic, Beckett-like atmosphere of suspended struggle, while a dense collage of visual and auditory textures conveys the intricacy of all natural systems— including consciousness.

This title was in the original Castelli-Sonnabend video art collection.