Eve Sussman

A lone male wanders through the museum; surrounded by cold marble statues he appears isolated distanced from the warm flesh of human contact. The fog of battle lifts to reveal a scene of brutal devastation as disheveled figures caught in the melee struggle to regain there footing. A young woman dances with her reflection, while with perfect poise her companion’s gather by the poolside. Caught in the flash-fire glow of the kitchen, female hands stroke the hair of a male figure knelt at her waist. Is this a tale of seduction or a cruel assault?

This one-minute video employs key scenes from Eve Sussman and The Rufus Corporation’s new feature length video musical The Rape of the Sabine Women that will play concurrently for one week at the IFC Center. Sited amongst the barrage of bright lights and moving images fueling our insatiable appetites in Times Square, this video appropriates the language and pace of advertising to suggest the hidden and cruel sensuality of loneliness and desire. Who are these people and what designs do they have upon us and each other?

The Rape of the Sabine Women is a re-interpretation of the ancient myth that follows Romulus’ founding of Rome updated and set in the idealistic 1960’s. While the myth traces the birth of a society, this telling exposes the emotions concealed by the thin veneer of the perfectly manicured life and hints at the destruction of a utopia. The intervention of the women is fraught, and the chaos that ensues transforms the designed perfection into nothingness.