Three+Transitions-+Peter+Campus

In his work //Three Transitions// (1973), Peter Campus uses a means of video to experiment with an introspective perception of self through abstraction of self-portraits. The video shows Campus abstracting himself with three instances: cutting into himself, erasing himself, and burning himself. In the first segment on the video, the viewer watches as Campus cuts into himself, walks through, then finally stitches himself back together. Playing both videos, him on either side of the piece of paper that he uses to make the cut, simultaneously by layering the videos on top of each other allows Campus to play with visual perception. The second segment displays Campus erasing his face, only to find another image underneath. Playing with video technology, Campus paints his face with blue paint, and then layers the video to reveal the image of himself. The resulting video deals with introspection and abstraction of one’s self with a touch of dry humor. Finally, Campus uses the last segment to play with the idea of self-destruction. The use of layering video here allows him to burn himself. He superimposes himself on a video of himself burning a blue piece of paper. Video allows the viewer to engage in the experience itself, by watching Campus in each transition. Video technology allows Campus to achieve this effect, one that could not be captured using any other medium. The “chroma-key effect” Campus utilizes enables him to layer videos over each other so that he may interact with himself. The technology creates a tongue-and-cheek effect, as Campus explores the limits of perception with respect to visual reality.