Oh Yes, Oh No

Description:

Oh Yes, Oh No is a ten-minute video collaboration between artists Jane Ellison and Eric Metcalfe that was recorded at Western Front. It explores the themes of consumption and desire through object comparison. Fourteen brown paper bags are lined up in two rows on the stage. As Ellison and Metcalfe move down the rows and investigate the contents one-by-one, it is revealed that each bag contains a consumable commodity. These include: a newspaper, reading glasses, a bottle of Pepsi, a bottle of Coca-Cola, cigarettes, a mascara tube, a tie, a bracelet, an oil can, a condom, a soiled women’s serviette, a green apple, and a red apple. Mimicking the style of a TV commercial, Ellison and Metcalfe, with objects in hand, turn towards the camera to evaluate each object with an exaggerated “Oh yes!” or “Oh no!” The connections made between the objects gradually become more gendered and sexualized until they reach the end of the row and the final object is consumed.

The work was also performed live at the Actor’s Workshop as part of the Living Art Performance Festival. 

Video documentation is available upon request.