Push Me

Push Me

color, 6.5 min
Over Rosenthal's stationary nude torso, single words scroll upwards in vertical columns at increasing speed, as she recites them in voice-over. A powerful experimental short about what people do to ...

Available for sale: DVD NTSC

Stills

About

Over Rosenthal's stationary nude torso, single words scroll upwards in vertical columns at increasing speed, as she recites them in voice-over. A powerful experimental short about what people do to each other. Premiered Oct 2010 when Barbara Rosenthal represented the U.S. in Performance Art and Text-Based Art at Tina B: Prague Contemporary Art Festival.
"Like most of my work, this piece began in my Journal as an observation of an event. "Someone bumped into me hard today. I said 'Excuse me' to them. As usual." The next step also often happens: an insight. "Goddamn it! I always let myself get pushed around. I always apologize for being in the way. I never push back. I only just always wonder at it." And next, an idea came for the piece! I first envisioned it as pressure activated Button Pins, with my recoded voice saying "Push Me" when a viewer pushed one. It would be kind of fun, like a kid's street game. I had seen touch-on recording technology, so I searched online and found I could buy 2,000 "Doll Recorders" from China. But needing 20 at most, I thought of just sitting in a black leotard, or maybe nude, and having a CD play the audio, instead. More words occurred to me. Little by little, as Life pushed me around some more, the brutality of the piece evolved. Rocky relationships found their way into it, and my dramatic police arrest and incarceration on bogus charges (eventually dismissed). For three months, the words came on their own into my mind in the order you see them. I videoed my rehearsals for a live, naked performance, but then video became its medium. I always let my artwork tell me how to make it. –Barbara Rosenthal. Catalogue statement, Tina-B: The Prague Contemporary Art Festival, 2010, at which this video premiered.

Programs

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    Barbara Rosenthal Turns 70! Outer Bodies, Inner Selves

    A 70th birthday celebration and screening for Barbara Rosenthal

    On August 15th at 7pm at the Film-Makers' Cooperative, celebrate Barbara Rosenthal's 70th birthday with a screening focusing on physical bodies to explicate humanity in terms that include, but are not limited to, sex.

Films

  • Other films by this artist in our catalogue

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    Pregnancy Dreams
    Experimental

    Pregnancy Dreams
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color and b/w, sound, 4 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Body
    • Children / Youth
    • Family
    • Personal / Diary / Journal
    • Philosophical
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    Postcards & Other Shorts

    Postcards & Other Shorts
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color and b/w, 29 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
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    Nonsense Conversation and Other Shorts
    Experimental

    Nonsense Conversation and Other Shorts
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, 30 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Arts / Artists
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    Daddy: Spider Story
    Documentary
    Experimental

    Daddy: Spider Story
    Barbara Rosenthal

    black and white, sound, 2 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • History
    • Psychology / Mental Health
    • Philosophical
    • Environment / Nature
    • Biography / Autobiography
    • Personal / Diary / Journal
    • Hand-Processed
    • Family
    • Spiritual / Mystical
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    33 Existential Video Shorts
    Experimental

    33 Existential Video Shorts
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color and b/w, sound, 73 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Body
    • Family
    • Personal / Diary / Journal
    • Philosophical
    • Science / Medicine
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    Two Physics Videos: "Space and Time" and "Some Balls Stick, Some Balls Fall"
    Experimental

    Two Physics Videos: "Space and Time" and "Some Balls Stick, Some Balls Fall"
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color and b/w, sound, 5 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Philosophical
    • Science / Medicine
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    Four Buggy Videos
    Animation
    Documentary
    Experimental

    Four Buggy Videos
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color and b/w, sound, 12 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Psychology / Mental Health
    • Science / Medicine
    • Arts / Artists
    • Cameraless / Handmade
    • Biography / Autobiography
    • Personal / Diary / Journal
    • Structural
    • Ethnographic
    • Family
    • Spiritual / Mystical
    • Comedy
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    Helen Webster: Cancer and Self-Discovery
    Documentary
    Experimental

    Helen Webster: Cancer and Self-Discovery
    Barbara Rosenthal

    black and white, sound, 28 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Body
    • Ethnographic
    • Philosophical
    • Science / Medicine
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    Existential Word Play
    Animation
    Documentary
    Experimental

    Existential Word Play
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color and b/w, sound, 74 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Body
    • Personal / Diary / Journal
    • Philosophical
    • Science / Medicine
    • Technology
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    Ola Writes the Alphabet
    Documentary
    Experimental

    Ola Writes the Alphabet
    Barbara Rosenthal

    black and white, sound, 16 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Body
    • Psychology / Mental Health
    • Science / Medicine
    • Philosophical
    • Technology
    • Arts / Artists
    • Biography / Autobiography
    • Personal / Diary / Journal
    • Structural
    • Family
    • Children / Youth
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    TALK-TALK: Six Videos About Spoken Communication
    Documentary
    Experimental
    Narrative

    TALK-TALK: Six Videos About Spoken Communication
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, sound, 12 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Psychology / Mental Health
    • Environment / Nature
    • Arts / Artists
    • Biography / Autobiography
    • Personal / Diary / Journal
    • Family
    • Dance
    • Comedy
    • Children / Youth
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    Quotation from Paul Gauguin

    Quotation from Paul Gauguin
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, 1.5 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
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    I Have a New York Accent

    I Have a New York Accent
    Barbara Rosenthal

    1.5 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
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    Handwriting Analysis

    Handwriting Analysis
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, 4 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
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    Museum Board

    Museum Board
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, 9 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
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    Two Humorous Architecture Videos

    Two Humorous Architecture Videos
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, 17.5 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
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    Space and Time

    Space and Time
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, 1 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
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    News Corral

    News Corral
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, 9 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
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    American Denominations

    American Denominations
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, sound, 1.5 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
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    Car Coming
    Experimental

    Car Coming
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, sound, 1 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Personal / Diary / Journal
    • Science / Medicine
    • Technology
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    Society
    Documentary
    Experimental

    Society
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, sound, 6 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Philosophical
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    Bird Rescue
    Documentary
    Experimental

    Bird Rescue
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, sound, 10 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Personal / Diary / Journal
    • Philosophical
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    Dog Recognition
    Animation
    Experimental

    Dog Recognition
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, sound, 2 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Ethnographic
    • Philosophical
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    Words Come Out Backwards When Spoken To Screen Left
    Animation
    Documentary
    Experimental

    Words Come Out Backwards When Spoken To Screen Left
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, sound, 4 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Personal / Diary / Journal
    • Philosophical
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    Barbara Rosenthal Contemplates Suicide

    Barbara Rosenthal Contemplates Suicide
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, 13 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
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    Fly Bus Into Finland
    Documentary
    Experimental

    Fly Bus Into Finland
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, sound, 4 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Ethnographic
    • Personal / Diary / Journal
    • Philosophical
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    Postcards

    Postcards
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, 3 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
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    Dead Heat
    Documentary
    Experimental

    Dead Heat
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, sound, 3 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Philosophical
    • Structural
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    BzzClickSsshhTingle
    Animation
    Documentary
    Experimental

    BzzClickSsshhTingle
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, sound, 4 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Psychology / Mental Health
    • Science / Medicine
    • Philosophical
    • Arts / Artists
    • Biography / Autobiography
    • Spiritual / Mystical
    • Comedy
    • Environment / Nature
    • Cameraless / Handmade
    • Structural
    • Ethnographic
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    Feet Handoff

    Feet Handoff
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, 8 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
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    International Garbage

    International Garbage
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
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    Rules
    Experimental

    Rules
    Barbara Rosenthal

    black and white, sound, 3 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Philosophical
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    Hot and Cold Shakeup
    Experimental
    Narrative

    Hot and Cold Shakeup
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, sound, 3 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Personal / Diary / Journal
    • Philosophical
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    Secret Codes
    Experimental

    Secret Codes
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color and b/w, sound, 5 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
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    Push Me Pas de Deux

    Push Me Pas de Deux
    Barbara Rosenthal

    7.5 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
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    Toil of Three Cities/Liebesmueh
    Documentary
    Experimental
    Narrative

    Toil of Three Cities/Liebesmueh
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color and b/w, sound, 16 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Personal / Diary / Journal
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    "I'm Growing Up" Media-Morph Performance at Grace Exhibition Space, Bklyn, NY, April 16, 2013 Documentation Footage
    Documentary
    Experimental

    "I'm Growing Up" Media-Morph Performance at Grace Exhibition Space, Bklyn, NY, April 16, 2013 Documentation Footage
    Barbara Rosenthal

    color, sound, 11 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Body
    • Technology
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    Barbara Rosenthal Describes Her Eyebrows (with Mitch Corber)
    Documentary
    Experimental

    Barbara Rosenthal Describes Her Eyebrows (with Mitch Corber)
    Barbara Rosenthal

    2016, color, sound, 2 min
    Rental format: DVD NTSC
    • Arts / Artists
    • Biography / Autobiography
    • Body
    • Comedy
    • Personal / Diary / Journal