Keren Cytter
Repulsion, 2005

3 DVDs synchronised in 3 spaces without sound separation, 5 minutes each

The three-screen, synchronized video work Repulsion (2006) was created after Keren Cytter encountered the olfactory and unpleasant conditions in the apartment of a friend while watching Repulsion by Roman Polanski. The title of the film met by chance the situation. As a consequence, the artist turned the emotions of disgust and revulsion into three short films. The focus is on the feelings and relationships between a protagonist and two supporting actors, which in the course of action lead in each case to different scenes of death. Cytter focuses primarily on those moments in which the protagonist is alone, being completely at the mercy of emotions of disgust and repulsion. The three film scripts written by the artist and filmed with friends within three days come together in a symmetrical relationship: The characters change parts – the killer in one movie is the victim in the second, and the witness in the third, and so on. After editing the films, the artist soon realized that the repulsive starting point was not to be found in its original intent and that the films evoke different emotions.

"After seeing Roman Polanski’s film Repulsion (1965), Keren Cytter decided to make three short films based on that thriller. At METROPOLIS M’s request, she explains her motivations and lays out the whole trajectory: from her first impressions of the film and her adaptation to the horrific dénouement, at the point where life always triumphs over art."

Read article in Metropolis M, 2006 (PDF)