Tokyo Four
'Tokyo Four' (1991) is a video installation by Steina Vasulka.
Tokyo Four, photo from vasulka.org
Tokyo 4 is a video, lasting for twenty-two minutes, consisting of four synchronized videotapes. The motive for making the work was a six months trip to Tokyo taken by Steina Vasulka. The video is organized around categories of imagery of Tokyo: Shinto priests grooming their Zen garden, train conductors during rush hour, elevator girls in shopping malls, supermarkets and a dance performance. The installation works as an audio-visual equivalent of a string quartet. The images are shown flipping and conversing flowing over nine screens. The timbre, texture and tone of the musical composition decide on the flow of the images on the screens. The flow of the images on the screens makes the video-wall look like a visual matrix.
