Komoróczky, Tamás: Sanyi (Electric Light) (2003)

Beginning as a painter, and becoming widely known as a member of the Újlak Group, Tamás Komorócky (b. 1963 in Békéscsaba, Hungary) now lives in Berlin and Budapest. Since the early 90s he has also been working in video. In the 2001 Venice Biennale, his installation on OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) was shown in the Hungarian pavilion: “an artistic exploration of the brilliant realization that compulsive disorders arose hand in hand with digital image production, since the keyword for both is 'manipulation'.” (Agnes Ivács) His video Sanyi arose as a continuation of this project, and was first shown at the ACB Gallery. On this four-minute endless loop, “Sanyi” (the artist Sándor Bodó) tries to kick a soccer ball into the top of a majestic tree that towers over a run-down suburban area. The film's alienation effect derives from the “electronic light” − the unnatural coloring of the image − that he creates through digital manipulation. The accompanying song and the speedup-slowdown sequences further reinforce the film's psychedelic mood and the manipulation of the perceptions. Sanyi is a sort of video clip, a visual product imitating pop culture − and simultaneously shedding light on the manipulative and alienated nature of pop.