Joan Jonas. Double Lunar Dogs. 1984

Joan Jonas Double Lunar Dogs 1984

  • Not on view

Double Lunar Dogs, based on Robert Heinlein's science-fiction story "Universe," is about passengers who have been aboard a spaceship for so long that they no longer remember their mission. The small team of astronauts moves through the starry sky in a cabin that resembles a mad-scientist's lab. The fragmented story is told by means of special effects and inserted vignettes created by a stellar group of avant-garde actors, video artists, and musicians, including Spalding Gray, the Residents, and Steina Vasulka.

Jonas was among the first artists in the 1970s to combine performance and video. Her work, at times, has expanded to encompass dance and sculpture. She has often adapted her intricate and personal performances into narrative videotapes to give them added dimension. In both mediums, she incorporates her signature gestural actions and symbolic props, such as mirrors, masks, and hearts, as a means of exploring subjectivity and identity.

Publication excerpt from The Museum of Modern Art, MoMA Highlights, New York: The Museum of Modern Art, revised 2004, originally published 1999, p. 328.
Medium
Video (color, sound)
Duration
24 min.
Credit
Purchase
Object number
538.1992
Copyright
© 2023 Joan Jonas. Image courtesy Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York.
Department
Media and Performance
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