Volume

France, 2000. Director Jean Pierre Khazem. 

In Jean Pierre Khazem’s video Volume (2000) the viewer is confronted with the image of a voluptuous woman positioned naked in front of the camera. Rather than assuming a still pose, the woman moves her arms very slowly. The film camera is there to record her actions over time, not capture a specific moment. However, the model is conscious of the camera’s presence and her actions are influenced by an awareness of its voyeuristic gaze. Although the model’s nudity suggests a corporeal intimacy and presupposes a revelation of her identity, in the case of Khazem’s model, her identity is concealed by the wax mask she wears on her face. Her real face is hidden and replaced by fake visage, which appears still, cold, cryptic, and even scary.

For further reading, see Christel Tsilibaris’ essay Assuming a Pose.

Past screenings:

Between Stigma and Enigma – London
Sunday 21 May 2006, 17:00 | The Horse Hospital
Screened as a part of the programme ‘Assuming a Pose,’ followed by fashion photographer Jean-François Carly and fashion designer Shelley Fox in conversation with Penny Martin, Editor-in-Chief of SHOWstudio.

The 1st Fashion in Film Festival – New York
Saturday 24 March 2007, 16:30 | Museum of the Moving Image

The 1st Fashion in Film Festival – Arnhem
Saturday 16 June 2007, 16:00 | Focus