Day Job
In this split-screen video installation, we present an entire day in our respective lives -- during which we are pretty much always working, or engaging with labor -- and collapse that day into a monolithic 8-hour running time that coincides with the workday that laborers once fought and died for. The 8-hour running time implies a laborious commitment from the viewer but also deliberately undermines the expectation to take in “the whole thing.” It's a time-based work that transcends the boundaries of time, the way our labor now transcends boundaries under the “empire” of late capitalism.
Images are from the opening reception of DAY JOB at Monte Vista in Los Angeles, which was 8 hours in observance of the video's running time. Viewing hours then reverted back to Monte Vista's usual 12pm - 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays. We added cafe tables and chairs to the gallery, and arranged for coffee and tea to be served during the opening.