Gusztáv Hámos

ARTWORK

video art

1988

Polish

Vermouth is a bold attempt at “the cinematographic transformation of the theater” (Hámos Gusztáv). Commenting on the genre of the television feature show, Gábor Bódy wrote in 1979 that “today it stands between theater and film, bearing the disadvantages of both, but none of their advantages. …I think this genre has not yet been discovered here at home.” Almost ten years later, Hámos undertook the video interpretation of the piece entitled Vermouth, staged by the Polish underground company “Theater of the Eighth Day”. The dissolving of images, the slowing down of phases of motion, and the unusual camera angles make the video seem like a documentary on an ancient rite. A rite that is oppressive, an atmosphere of a totalitarian system, where every possibility of positive progress turns into a bitter, nightmarish reality. The only remaining ray of hope is the small, flimsy, folded-paper boat. (Evelin Páll)