DVD 9
Yello
Gillian Wearing
New®
 

 

 


 
Gillian Wearing's film consists of a single shot of an old lady sitting asleep in her wheelchair. Her legs are wrapped, her hat has sunk over her ears. The sun is shining and in her flowery dress she appears to be dressed for a day out. Is this a tranquil, almost blissful picture, despite her invalidity, or do we see an old dear abandoned to her fate, who could be pushed down the stairs just like that?
Because of the lack of action in the film, the music by Yello is given ample space. It sounds very contemporary at the same time as it refers to the title music of Seventies television series like Loveboat and Starsky & Hutch. The mix of easy listening and techno beats gives Wearing's work something of a slapstick quality. The immobile image is set in motion as it were by the music and we wait for the moment when the woman stands up from her wheelchair.
Pontus Frankenstein of New has provided the character in Wearing's film with a co-star. The song performed by a rapper is an ode to Yo mama. Corny texts like 'Yo mama. she went to school on a dinosaur' take old age to the point of absurdity and clearly fall outside the average rap repertoire.