The Trophy
1998, 4 min, color, stereo sound
Set in a taxidermy shop, The Trophy records a single action. A taxidermist flays the head of a deer for its preservation as a memento of the hunt. Framed at the torso, à la Robert Bresson, with his back to the camera, the taxidermist in turn falls prey to a dismemberment, albeit imaginary. I emphasized the cut, elliptically editing the image to ensure the taxidermist occludes the grisly sight of the buck's butchered head. Of course, this obstruction spurs the imagination. Bearing witness to the labor involved in preserving the algamic object of one’s desire, even at the cost of the thing itself, is it any wonder I chose as the soundtrack Al Green’s “I’m Still in Love With You”?
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