Is it typical of the introverted, reserved British to keep private and public appearances so strictly separated? Were we not all more or less taught that what happens 'at home' should be kept 'at home? In any case, Gillian Wearing did. As a child, her mother impressed upon her: "don't tell the neighbours, don't talk to anyone about what is happening in this family". In her work, she has become fascinated with the difference between what people do and what they think, by what they inadvertently reveal and what they keep secret. For Confess all on video ... she placed an advertisement to recruit people who were prepared to confess their secrets in front of the camera in disguise. The results were surprising, people from all walks and conditions of life were prepared to tell their deepest feelings and cherished obsessions while slightly disguised. The viewer, confronted with a moment in which someone reveals himself completely was put into a voyeuristic position by Wearing. An uneasy position which was both embarrassing and fascinating. The viewer is also allocated this voyeuristic situation in the installation euphemistically called Sacha and Mum. A number of household scenes are projected in a darkened room. Sacha and Mum are involved in an emotional battle that swings from aggressive mistreatment to loving reconciliation. Mum grabs Sacha by the hair, knocks her repeatedly to the floor, only then lovingly to take pity on her poor girl. The scenes are played backwards, something that only becomes clear after a while. This alteration in time has an alienating effect; it seems to have something to do with the emotions of the scene. The sound of crying becomes laughter and the other way around. Some of the blows that Mum hands out become caresses and a loving embrace turns into a strangle hold. This effect in combination with the monochrome images creates a certain distance and gives the viewer the feeling that he is being a witness to something intimate that is not intended for the eyes of an outsider. The confusion and aggression of the scene is confronting, but there is also a certain fascination which compels the viewer to continue watching. What is really going on? What has Sacha done? Has she deserved the punishment she is getting? Does Mum get some sort of perverse pleasure from mistreating her half undressed daughter in this way? There does not seem to be any dramatic construction in the scenes, so the viewer continues watching in uncertainty hoping to get some clues that will reveal the relationship between mother and daughter.
– Geert-Jan Strengholt
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