G8 Conductor
G8 Conductor (2011)DVD video
3:03 minutes
(Click the image to watch this video)
G8 Conductor (2011) is comprised of the national anthems from the following G8 countries: United States, Germany, Russia, Japan, Italy, Canada, United Kingdom, and France. Two performers, costumed in tuxedos, snobbishly and cynically conduct each other throughout these anthems.
Inspired by the thought that the G8 countries are unconsciously and guiltlessly singing “we are above all in the world…” This video perceptively attempts to examine the displayed one-upmanship, nationalism, and human arrogance of these countries by juxtaposing their national anthems against a backdrop of a variety of recent media.
Additionally, this video touches on my personal experience as a Japanese who currently resides in the United States. Specifically, the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011 unnerved me, and it evoked thoughts of my childhood where I constantly feared disaster. However, belonging a strong nation of man-made power sometimes let me forget about this anxiety and gave me a fantasy that man CAN control everything even nature force.