Hiss of the Blow
A twin-screen installation, The Hiss of the Blow presents visceral invocations of boxing, focusing on Marianne Marston and Angel Mckenzie,. The two protagonists skip, hit punch bags and shadow box in front of the camera, while at one point the pace slows and the tone becomes more melancholic as Angel (who is also a songwriter), sings a cappella lyrics articulating her history. In a corner of the gallery is a diminutive monitor sitting casually inside its soft-sided carrying case, which shows the artist filming a bout of sparring between Angel and Marianne on a hand-held, hand-crank 16mm camera, before he then steps into the ring to spar with (and get well and truly hit by) Marianne. The Hiss of the Blow is divided into 2 minute segments, reflecting that matches are divided into 2 minute rounds for female boxers. (Text, Pryle Behrman).
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