Vital statistics of a citizen, simply obtained [videorecording] / a tape by Martha Rosler. [1977]

ArchivalResource

Rosler, Martha. Vital statistics of a citizen, simply obtained [videorecording] / a tape by Martha Rosler.

Vital statistics of a citizen, simply obtained [videorecording] / a tape by Martha Rosler. [1977]

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/419264375

First presented as a live performance, the narrative is told in one long continuous shot of a male examiner and his assistant measuring a female subject inch by inch. A trio of women wearing white lab coats watch and ring bells or blow whistles when standard measurements are met. A voiceover comments about dehumanization, the structuring of self-perception and the internalization of society's standards as the systematic evaluation continues until the subject has removed all of her clothes. The final segment is a series of black and white photos of women and children being measured while a voice states a litany of crimes against women. Reminiscent of images from concentration camps and oppressive political regimes or armed forces, this is an example of one of Rosler's more pointed feminist pieces.

1 videocassette of 1 (U-Matic) (40 min.) : sd., b&w ; 3/4 in. original.1 videocassette of 1 (Betcam SP) (40 min.) : sd., b&w ; 1/2 in. archival master.1 videocassette of 1 (Digital Betcam) (40 min.) : sd., b&w ; 1/2 in. copy master.1 videodisc of 1 (DVD) (40 min.) : sd., b&w ; 4 3/4 in. use copy.

Getty Research Institute