Tomorrow (2009)

image courtesy Elvis Richardson  Hugo Mitchell Gallery, Adelaide

Tomorrow is a video work compiled from videos downloaded from YouTube of young girls singing the song ‘Tomorrow’ from the Broadway musical Annie…

Abandoned, alone and longing for parents or someone to save her Annie’s hopes and fears are expressed in the musicals most identifiable song “tomorrow” a song reminiscent of a relentless positivity.

Made initially for an exhibition curated by Nat Thomas and Lyndal Walker at the Carlton Hotel in Melbourne the was a round up of Australian women artists. A feminist statement by its very existence. I made the work to comment on the fact that feminism although having achieved so much still has a long way to go, particularly in the male dominated artworld. These young girls mostly alone in their bedrooms croon and belt out “Tomorrow, tomorrow, I’ll love ya, tomorrow, you’re only a day away…” directly to the camera, a rehearsal an audition, ready to perform.

The other dominant element of the YouTube series of works is the nature of these videos existence in the world. While YouTube may be identified with this type of content singular person situated in domestic interiors talking directly to the camera/computer and imagined viewer once the video has been uploaded. I can see my returned gaze reflected in the expectations behind their eyes, knowing that someone will be watching.

In the case of the TOMORROW videos whose subjects are young around 10-12 year old girls I imagine they were not making and uploading these videos themselves. As computer savvy as young kids these days may be I had to assume, the majority of them anyway, would have been recorded and uploaded by their parents therefore revealing another layer of aspiration and approval.

Coming soon Child Prodigies, subscribe to my YouTube channel to receive regular updates.

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