Whitney Biennial: The Casting by Omer Fast

Photo Credit: Twp Photo/Washington Post

One of the most interesting and provocative short films I’ve seen in a long while is part of this year’s Whitney Biennial.

The Casting by Omer Fast is a four-channel video installation that skillfully intercuts two seemingly unrelated stories: a man goes on a bad date with a self-mutilating woman, and a soldier accidently kills a civilian in Iraq. What makes them related is that the man and the soldier are the same, and the intercutting happens as the man relates the stories during an interview.

The installation presents the four-channels on dual back-to-back screens, with the two rear screens presenting the interview between the man and an interviewer, and the two front screens showing video illustrations of the events being described. The events are recreated as still tableaux but are shot with live video, so that the actors are standing posed in live changing environments. It’s not as pretentious as that may sound—the photography is outstanding (clearly not a small budget affair) and dual screens work powerfully to seamlessly connect the stories and give life to the still imagery.

I often find video installations to be hit-or-miss high-concept affairs which, on occasion, harbor interesting ideas that fade as soon as you step into the next gallery. However The Casting sticks with you, working as a very successful hybrid between video installation and fractured narrative. It’s the kind of thing that Sundance should be showing in their New Frontiers sidebar—a vivid example of an artist pushing cinema beyond the limitations of standard narrative.

I’m not familiar with Omer Fast’s previous works (which also sound interesting) but he is clearly a talent to watch and the highlight for me of this year’s Biennial. More info on Omer Fast and the installation can be found here.