The photo novel as genre in general has a poor reputation, mainly because most of such publications are characterized by such a low level of creativity. It is thus highly pleasing to see that the artist team Komen/Murphy has found a refreshing video variation to the standard type of sentimental photo novel which is usually a combination of photos with text. The video installation 'Love Bites' is composed of nine short scenes based on dialogues from television dramas which together create a linear story in pictures reconstructing the developments in a relationship between two people. The two principle characters are played by the artists themselves, while the voices we hear in the scenes are those of different actors from mainly English soaps and television films, including 'Eastenders', 'Husbands and Wives' and 'In Your Dreams'. Different (recognizable) episodes from a romantic relationship pass through the review: first date, being in love, trips, living together, domestic rows, adultery, separation, apologies and sadness. The question is: how much of this material is autobiographical? It is common knowledge - they make no secret of it themselves - that the couple work personal worries and daily events into their video productions. Using the soap as their source of inspiration Komen and Murphy avoid a problem which confronts many artists whose main interest is in the narrative aspects of video art. Namely, the annoyance of knowing that the audience often comes in halfway through the showing, while the content of video is presented linearly, that is it has a clear beginning and end. Characters in a soap continually have the urge to report on the situation they are in and on the accompanying feeling. Their words are a detailed explanation attached to the emotion they are portraying. In 'Love Bites' as well: "We have to talk. Have you slept with her?" "Yes." "How many times?" "Three times. I'm sorry." "It was at that bloody funeral, wasn't it? That was the first time, wasn't it? Are you in love with her?" By using these kinds of short dialogues in which the characters are not given the time to play out deep feelings, the story can be followed easily and every second of the show is important. The subtitled images have been edited like photographic stills, one following the other.The way in which the work has been edited, the artificial clarity of the shots and the do-it-yourself quality of the visual setting give an exaggerated, perhaps somewhat paranoid, image of a likely television drama. The scenario and the camera angles have been taken over from the original scenes down to the smallest detail. Here, as in other works in the oeuvre of Komen and Murphy, the combination of 'word' and 'image' is clearly evident. Earlier they have made videos in which language played an important role, such as 'Uncle Edward' (1997), 'A Short Affair…' and 'Two Tulips and Two Tattoos' (latter two from 1996). Most video productions have distance between the text and the visual image on screen in the sense that texts are shown separate from the image or are spoken by an off-screen commentator. The fact that essential information is passed on bit-by-bit within a carefully constructed story line is also a recurring element. Significant information is presented gradually. Too much is never given away, only just enough each time to arouse the viewers' curiosity and hold their attention. 'Love Bites' is a 'real life' video drama in a nutshell. Obviously, not with a happy ending.
– Marieke van Hal
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A.P. Komen ° 1964, Leeuwarden (Netherlands)
Karen Murphy ° 1968, Waterford (Ireland)
Wonen en werken in Amsterdam (Netherlands)
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