October 12, 2018, 07:00PM
"Commissioned and produced by EMPAC, If It Bleeds is a moving-image work inspired by recent events in the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Historically, MMA was promoted as something very distinct from both boxing—a sport so corrupt that the best hardly ever fight the best—and from pro wrestling, which is totally scripted and driven by mic skills, costumes, and bad acting. But in seeking to expand the audience, MMA promoters increasingly court the artifice of wrestling to privilege the showman over the sportsman. If It Bleeds follows the fighters, commissioners, reporters and a promoter as they battle through post-fight pressers, promotional tours, and disciplinary hearings. The narrative unfolds in a game of one-upmanship as the characters are seduced by their public image and driven by the fiction that everything happens “for a reason.” If It Bleeds uses the pageantry of sports-entertainment to explore the grotesque and sublime spectacle that is everyday survival. [...] Canadian artist Isabelle Pauwels works primarily in video and installation. Her blend of performance and documentary realism explores the fraught relationship between narrative conventions and everyday social interaction. If It Bleeds follows Pauwels’s 2014 EMPAC-commissioned multimedia performance ,000,." (Quote Source)
If It Bleeds
ReplyDeleteIf It Bleeds is an experimental film by Isabelle Pauwels that premiered on Friday, October 12th. The piece is inspired by events that recently took place in the world of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). Mixed Martial Arts is a newly and explosively popular sport experience. It is built on the foundation of a no holds barred fight that only ends with submission or knocking out of the opponent. MMA rose to popularity on the back of two industries: boxing and professional wrestling. Boxing is extremely corrupt and professional wrestling (namely WWE) is all about characters and trash-talking. As the industry has expanded MMA has become more and more enshrined in the theatrics that are so synonymous with the sports entertainment industry. If It Bleeds captures this transition of the MMA to this character-based, larger than life entertainment industry.
The film begins with a trial of a fighter who was accused of breaking the rules and the subsequent disqualification of the fighter. Following this disqualification we are ushered to a new scene and are introduced to some more of the film’s characters. We meet The Macguffin, The Cowboy, John “With an H” Jones, Walter Cronkite, and Ana Armbar. Upon meeting each of these characters it is clear that they all are putting on some sort of show; they are all taking their personalities and cranking them up a few notches. We experience an interview with the hugely popular Ana Armbar in which she is constantly bombarded with questions about her views on womanhood and advice on things she has no authority to talk about. She answers every question with certainty and gravitas despite being mostly clear that she has no concrete idea of the character she needs to be portraying. After meeting Anna Armbar, there is a transition to the introduction of The Macguffin and The Cowboy, two characters from different parts of the world who were clearly enemies. Their personas completely enraptured by their countries of origin and their need to always be these personas to the point of sheer ridiculousness. A little further into the film, there is the most poignant scene in my opinion. As Walter Cronkite and John Jones square up at a press junket, Walter Cronkite instigates a fight under the instruction of an advisor. This part really well displayed the showmanship of the MMA industry in which the feuds are manufactured and the drama preceding the fight is embraced more than the fight itself. The whole film is eclectic, not flowing in a linear pattern, but rather in a choppier manner. It was as if you were on the outside of the industry, not a fan or member, and were receiving news of the events that were happening through popular media and short little clips.
I went to this show because I have always been fascinated by the sports entertainment industry. Prior to hearing about this show, I had noticed an increase in the character-like nature of the UFC. This film excellently captures the showmanship that is running rampant through the MMA community through its use of bold and absurd characters in seemingly ridiculous situations. However, these are not unrealistic situations, most of the instances in the film were based on real life happenings, but when presented in this context, in which a pile of bricks was a character, the absurdity became obvious and the curtain was pulled back.