Distribution Automatique

Saturday, September 20

If you're in New York, go see *The American Effect* show at the Whitney (E.75th St. and Madison, Manhattan).Go soon, as it closes October 12th. It's free after 6 p.m. on Friday, by the way. There is much to see there right now (including the wondrous Sarah Sze installation in the basement.)

As you enter *The American Effect* the first piece you see is an installation by Gilles Barbier (by the way, he was born in 1965 in Port-Villa, Vanatu, but lives in Marseille). In this piece, many of the US comic book Superheroes rest in a nursing home. Cat Woman naps quietly in a chair next to the Hulk who is sleeping in a wheelchair as they sit in front of a movie on tv. 50's rock'n roll songs play gently in the background, to the sound of it, on a tinny record player. Captain America reclines on a gurney attached to an I.V., Plastic Man sits reading at a desk, but his limbs appear flacid, while Wonder Woman, who is the only one left standing, though perhaps not much longer, looks on.

Many excellent videos and films are to be seen (get the schedule of *The American Effect Documentary Program*j, includes films by Chantal Ackerman, Stephanie Black, The Builders Association, Anita W. Chang, Gail Dolgin, Vicente Franco, Veli Grano, Marlo Poras, Sandeep Ray, Sherine Salama, Heiner Stadler, JT Orinne Takago and Hye Jung Park.

Check out one of the best projected pieces, by Young-Hae Chang and Mark Voge, originally made for the internet, with a terrific sound track(!) may be seen (and heard) at this site:

(click here):Dakota