Like Tears in Rain

Janet Biggs, 2006
Two-channel SD video installation with sound
Running time: multiple loops of 3 to 6 minutes

Janet Biggs is best known for her multimedia video installations centering on the image of the horse as a means to explore the construction of gender in today’s society. She often pairs horses with images of athletes to investigate concepts of status, power and control.

Like Tears in Rain addresses these issues by pairing footage of The Citadel’s Summerall Guards with footage of a blind dressage rider. A precision drill platoon, the Summerall Guards performs a precise series of movements to a silent count. Membership in the platoon is a high honor and requires demanding physical training. Dressage also requires rigorous physical training of both the horse and the rider. The horse is trained to perform a prescribed series of movements in response to guidance from the rider. Biggs’s multiple channel video installation reveals the intense effort and commitment required by the rider, the horse and the Citadel cadets to make a very controlled performance appear effortless and free.