Knackered (Total erledigt)

In her video installation Knackered, British film director Sam Taylor-Johnson examines the concept of gender ambiguity. The work features an almost life-size projection of a young woman in harsh lighting. She stands nearly motionless, arms hanging loosely, facing the viewer directly. Initially, we see a close-up of her face before the camera cuts to a full-body shot. Only her lips move, as if singing. But after a few moments, it becomes clear that the voice we hear cannot be hers. Rather, it is a recording of a Gregorian lament sung by Alessandro Moreschi (1858–1922), the last known castrato, recorded in the Vatican at the turn of the twentieth century. By merging an androgynous female body with the high-pitched voice of a castrato, Taylor-Johnson constructs an enigmatic and disconcerting situation.