Cine Wiand

Pyramid is a single screen work on Abraham Maslow's theory on the hierarchy of human needs filmed through the rhythms and choreography of middle class South England. Filmed in color and b&w on 16mm film, it continues Salmon's interest in the performance of the artist/cinematographer within both spontaneous and constructed situations and incorporates methods developed by various movements within documentary and avant-garde history. Using an array of sounds, music and conversation as well as silence, Salmon constructs an abstract documentary which both develops and challenges the themes presented in Maslow's theory as well as her own interest in human iconography, stereotype and domestic rhythm. The image of Maslow's pyramid and his pragmatic dissection of human needs and possible motivations provide a system of organization for the family and a philosophical framework for the video.

An abstract portrait of a middle aged man, weaving together iconography from a range of film genres including classic Hollywood films from the 40s and New Deal documentaries. P.S. attempts to unravel the nuances of personality & character portrayal through the interaction of sound and image. As a couple engage in an argument, which carries on over the course of an evening, we watch a man, presumably the man speaking, working the land & going about his chores, smoking, walking through a forest and watching fireworks.