we’re not exactly sure what just happened (one through four)
a series of 4 one-minute videos on 4 tv monitors

originally made for the Toronto Urban Film Festival (TUFF)
installation version: 4 Analog TV sets, Media players, plinths

On April 19, 2013 while the city of Boston was on lockdown and police searched for the then at large Boston City Bomber, CNN aired continuously despite having virtually nothing new to report. They hypothesized on what might be happening and interviewed “experts” on guesstimated facts about the case all while continually admitting they actually knew nothing about what was transpiring in the search for the lone surviving suspect.

With text from CNN’s reporting on that day, the four videos part of we’re not exactly sure what just happened offer an alternative visual backdrop for the essentially meaningless transcripts. What does it mean when media takes a step away from reporting facts and closer toward nonsense? When they become active generators of fear and paranoia as oppose to the disseminators of tangible and factual information?

Blouin Artinfo Canada online, “Video Artist Christina Battle Finds Nothing on the News at TUFF” review of we’re not exactly sure what just happened by Mark Mann, 2013

image provided by TUFF

in progress installation at Redline (Denver) part of “An Invisible Boundary”