Artist Matthew Barney continues his elaborate, symbolic mediation on sex, death, and creation with this 40-minute audiovisual installment of his much-acclaimed Cremaster cycle. Labeled the first in the series although it was originally exhibited second (in 1995, following the inaugural Cremaster 4), Cremaster 1 is set in the sculptor/filmmaker's hometown of Boise, ID, on the football field of Bronco Stadium. There, a flock of stewardesses and showgirls converge, forming intricate dance/movement patterns both on the field and in the sky, their actions dictated by Goodyear (Marti Domination), a goddess hovering overhead, simultaneously occupying two Goodyear blimps. While surveying her subjects, each version of Goodyear arranges grapes in a formation on the floor, which are then carried out by the dancers below.
by Michael Hastings
synopsis
