The second iteration of our Screen series, focusing on video works, will feature the work My Body is Your Body is Everybody is Nobody by Pop Killed Culture.

My Body is Your Body is Everybody is Nobody are a series of videos in which participants are encouraged to mark the performer with charcoal for three minutes, leaving evidence of the interaction on the performer’s skin. The videos are silent, shot in black and white and cropped in portrait style to capture micro expressions, gaze, and the physical reaction to being touched.

The title of the series is meant to invoke a sense of connection and dissolution of self. While the artist is the same in all the videos, she could be anyone. These interactions could be those between any two people at any given time. Also reflecting on notions of consent, the videos are performed in the safety of a studio yet unscripted physical interactions can lead to uncomfortable moments. Miscommunications of boundaries, unread responses, and uneasy feelings are also part of this project. Being touched by a stranger can trigger micro changes in the body that the camera records.

Pop Killed Culture, a.k.a Jess Lauren Lipton, is a sculptor and photographer working in Portland.