The Feiyue Shoes

RAT DIV-A was thinking about her next project, and what it would be.

What will it be? she thought. It has to be random.

That morning she'd received in the mail a pair of new Feiyue shoes which she'd purchased on eBay. They were a half size too large, but she'd decided to keep them, and lace them up tight. Feiyue shoes are the preferred shoes of Shaolin Monks and Masters. RAT DIV-A was not one of those.

Nevertheless, years ago she had joined in some judo classes, so she knew how to do judo moves. She remembered one move in particular. The move was OSOTO-GARI.

RAT DIV-A was pleased she remembered Osoto-gari. It was funny how she only remembered that one. Perhaps it was the only one she had successfully learned how to do. You grabbed your opponent's clothing, and jerked them off balance, at the same time tripping them up with a swift kick behind their nearest leg, sending them sprawling to the floor. You got points for doing it too.

What I shall do, thought RAT DIV-A, is practice Osoto-gari in my new Feiyue shoes. When I have it right, I'll video my foot moves in the garden.

She practised in front of a mirror. She made the sounds shhht, shhht, so that the moves would seem crisper. She became expert at the moves.

She went out into the garden, and stood on the grass in the shade of a pencil pine.

Shhht, shhht, she tripped up the invisible opponent. It was all over in two seconds flat.

RAT DIV-A went back inside and watched her new video. It was short alright, but she was worried that it seemed too professional and slick. And she seemed to have learned how to control
the record button.

I must watch that next time, she said.

Then she brightened. At least her feet hadn't looked all that big.

Webbers at the Beach

Virginia: RAT DIV-A, welcome back to Artscape.

Me : Thanks Virginia, it's very nice to be back.

Virginia: I want to talk about your video "Webbers at the Beach". This marked a turning point for you in a way. Would you like to talk us through it?

Me: Do you mean it was a turning point because it was longer?

Virginia: Yes. Why was it longer?

Me: You might be surprised to know it was by accident. I was at the beach with my family and I noticed that the sea and sky were both remarkable shades of blue. I decided to make a three-second video by pointing my camera at the sea and pressing record.

Virginia: But you weren't sure you were actually recording anything, were you?

Me; No, I wasn't. I didn't have my glasses on so I couldn't see the little recording icon. I had to guess. So I pointed the camera at a wave for what I thought was about three seconds, then I walked over to my daughter and said......

Virginia: You said, " Does that look like the video camera one to you?" And your daughter answered "Yes".

Me: I'm flattered you remember.

Virginia: How could I forget? And as we hear these words we see your husband's legs walk rapidly towards the water, then we swing over the sand to your daughter's shoe, followed by a quick upswing to a purple sky with a vertical streak of sunglare, and end on a one second shot of your husband standing in a purple sea.

Me: Yes and it was all quite unplanned after the first three seconds. It went on for a full fourteen seconds. I had no idea it was still recording. You see I was under the impression that my camera would only record for three seconds. And I still don't know why it stopped at fourteen.

Virginia: That's what makes it so priceless of course. Well, what's next for RAT DIV-A ? Are you planning a new video?

Me: Well you know, I have to be wary of plans. I really need to guard against, for example, learning how the record button on my camera actually works. The more often I use it the more I inadvertently learn. But naturally, I do try very hard not to absorb anything.

Virginia: Well, RAT DIV-A, good luck with that. I'm sure you have no need to worry. Thank you for sharing your insights with us, and we look forward to seeing a lot more of your wonderful work in the future.

Me: Thanks Virginia,

RAT DIV-A

Virginia: RAT DIV-A, Welcome to Artscape

Me: Thanks Virginia.

Virginia: Your career as a video artist has taken off recently. Tell us how you got started.

Me: Well, it was by accident really. I was visiting my sister's farm, and taking a few interior shots to show our mum. I pressed the record button by mistake in the bedroom. Later I realised I had a video of the bed.

Virginia: And what were your thoughts on that?

Me: I thought it was rather creepy.

Virginia: ( laughing ) It was. And what followed from that?

Me: Nothing. I forgot all about it. But some time later, it was Halloween, I recall, I was experimenting with some night shots of Koster's Kiln, and accidentally pressed the record button again.

Virginia: Tell us a bit about Koster's Kiln.

Me: It's just down the road from our house. It's an old kiln in the middle of a reserve and at night it's lit up by an orange spotlight.

Virginia: Ah yes, these are your famous spooky Koster's Kiln sideways videos.

Me: Yes. It's funny, I hadn't meant them to come out sideways. I rotated them on Easyshare but when I uploaded them to Facebook, they rotated back to sideways-on again.

Virginia: ( smiling) A serendipitous re-rotation.

Me : Absolutely. That was when my work first came to the attention of the reviewer from Video Cognoscenti.

Virginia: Yes, let me just quote from that first review : "Brilliantly short creepy videos in which nothing happens. Innovatively presented sideways. A sensational new talent emerges in video art." That was a pretty amazing time for you, I imagine.

Me: Yes it was. I took another look at them and realised that they really were quite creepy. But even then I didn't think that I would make a career of accidental videos. Nevertheless it was about that time that I started calling myself the RAT DIV-A.

Virginia: A very clever name. Now, your really big break came after the release of your fourteen second magnum opus, ''Webbers at the Beach". I'd like to talk with you about that at length, but unfortunately we're out of time. Will you come back on the next program so that we can continue this fascinating discussion?

Me: I certainly will, Virginia. I'm looking forward to it.