Hassan Pitt's video work, Interstitial was a seemingly simple idea provoking much more insight. It was based around the "cleansing ritual" of shaving ones face and head, but seemed to mean much more than just hygiene or beauty measures. The first thing that caught my attention was the very scientific name Pitts gave this piece. In the description, the scientific tone is echoed again. This gave it a bit of ambiguity to me because I would never have linked science and tradition or ritual. To me, ritual seems more of a spiritual word that negates the confines of practical science. However, when viewing this specific video, the scientific and spiritual aspects come together to me in a weird symbiotic bond.
The removal of foreign, non-organic objects came together with the systematic and organized movements and actions to create the scientific feel. Then, the use of dissolve and motion blur offset this practical nature with a more organic, fleeting atmosphere to portray the ritualistic and more emotional side of the actions. I think this film technique was very successful because it set me in an emotional, even physical state I can recognize, whether it be the action of memory, or sleepiness, or even induced haze.
The work as a whole gave me many things to think about, and in a way, things I haven't resolved quite yet. I don't know at all if what I get from the video was the intended message, but maybe there isn't one intended message. Overall, I was quite intrigued by the ambiguity, the patience and length, film technique, and atmosphere all working together to make me feel confused but not at the same time. Great work, to me, is work that makes me feel, so there it is.
