A Few Extra Copies

Bobby Abate

2012 | 00:09:33 | United States | English | B&W and Color | Stereo | 16:9 | HD video

Collection: Single Titles

Tags: Death and Dying, History, Media Analysis, Politics

"On January 22, 1987 an unjustly convicted Budd Dwyer grasped onto the pages of his final speech as Pennsylvania's State Treasurer before shooting himself in front of news cameras. Our current year of armageddon, recession, and occupation resonates as a fitting time to step into Budd's shoes (and perhaps others who sought freedom the same way.) I set up a mini news conference with antiquated, glitchy analog cameras, mixers, players, and decks with the goal of recording Budd's speech in one take. Alternating between two 20-minute tapes, I rehearsed, recorded, rewound, and re-recorded while operating the equipment within a closed-circuit huddle. Words, sentences, and pages drifted away as Budd's speech evolved into a meditation on the oppressive aspects of my own life. I don't know if I achieved some form of symbolic death, but I do know that my obsession to create the perfect copy of Budd's speech might erase it."

-- Bobby Abate

Note: This title is intended by the artist to be viewed in High Definition. While DVD format is available to enable accessibility, VDB recommends presentation on Blu-ray or HD digital file.

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Premiere

New York Film Festival, Views from the Avant-Garde
New York, NY
2012

Exhibitions + Festivals

Impakt Festival, Utrecht, Netherlands, 2013

Simultan Festival, Romania, 2012

Film Armada, 2012