The Value of Time, video collage, trt1m 2021
I put together this collage with the theme of time in mind.
The other day I was getting ready to head to the dentist to get a filling replaced and stepped on glass, remnants of a broken jar from the prior week. It put me in an awkward physical position to try to remove it. I thought I’d just be running late and so I called the dentist and left a message. After ten more minutes of prodding and getting now where but a bloody mess, I had to call and reschedule.
I broke down in tears. It was prompted by physical pain (bad knee, weird position) and an overwhelming sense of loneliness.
“If I didn’t live alone, a man would be here to help me.”
This doesn’t help remove the glass from my foot. To pacify my thoughts, I begin to over-rationalize and in a weird way, dismiss my pain. “Well, there’s no guarantee that if a man was here that he’d actually help.”
The video clip I used is a live performance video of the song Credo, Pt II by Coco O. & August Rosenbaum
Coco wrote the lyrics when she was 21 years old and had not yet been in a relationship. The lyrics reflect a wanting and readiness.
To be independent and “take care” of ourselves requires a certain level of intelligence and maturity. Sometimes we are forced into that role and other times it is elective.
The bottom layer of this collage is of Lauren Vélez as Lisette Linares in the movie “I Like It Like That.” She’s at her kitchen table counting pocket change. In the movie, her husband makes little money as a bike messenger while Lisette cares for their 3 children. He’s also cheating on her.