DESTABLISHING SHOTS
2 minutes, 30 seconds (2006)
Destablishing Shots, whose title was derived from the filmic term establishing shot (a camera shot often used to open a narrative sequence and indicate where and when it takes place), consists of a series of 23 shots of various buildings and houses in Panama City. At first glance, the shots do not seem to involve anything more than the careful framing of the houses and buildings, but their impossible (though not absolute) symmetry gradually becomes evident. The result is a disturbing portrait of a city that has been intervened and altered. The ambient sound, strangely devoid of people or vehicles, combined with a Muzak-like version of Panamá Viejo (a classic panamanian song), also contribute to the video’s dreamlike atmosphere.