I’m Not The Girl Who Misses Much

1986

SD Pal, 4:3, Sound, 7'45''

An exorcistic survival tape to conjure up a positive hysteria.

I'm Not The Girl Who Misses Much / Ich bin nicht das Mädchen, das viel vermisst
1986
Duration: 7'45''

In this video, Pipilotti Rist sings, squawks and wails "I'm not the girl who misses much" – a line adapted from the Beatles' song ‘Happiness is a Warm Gun’ (1968). The original line begins with "She": "She's not a girl who misses much." So here, "she" has become "I" – and instead of John Lennon's laconic reference to a wild girl who doesn't miss out on anything, we hear a confession: “I am this girl”. So we might expect a self-confident performance. Nothing of the kind: the mantra-like repetition of the same line, the ecstatic dance movements (sometimes speeded up, sometimes slowed down) and the continual disruption of the image combine to give the impression of a desperate, over-the-top performance. Any expectation of a flawless self-portrayal in front of the camera is mercilessly subverted.

Created while she was studying in Basle, ‘I'm Not The Girl Who Misses Much' (1986) is among the artist's most talked-about videos. It has been interpreted as a comment on the ambivalent role of women in the music business or in the media as a whole. The streakiness, blurring and distortion of this video, in contrast, embody the artist's refusal to provide a consumable image of herself as a woman. Instead, we are confronted with a collapse on camera, in which the woman falls apart in more than one sense.

‘I'm Not The Girl Who Misses Much' (1986) suggests a way out of the dilemma: only by actively, deliberately and creatively manipulating the margins of error that are inherent in the system – in this case, distortion combined with visual over- and under-stimulation – can women succeed in determining their own image.

Adapted from text by: Authors: Mirjam Varadinis (MV), Änne Söll (ÄS), Katharina Ammann (KA), Eveline Schüep (ES) and Andrea Fischer-Schulthess

Photo cover credit: © Pipilotti Rist – Courtesy the artist, Hauser & Wirth, Luhring Augustine and videoart.ch