In this suite of videos Michelle Given investigates the intricacies of sexual tension, specifically its attendant feelings of anticipation, frustration and anxiety. She questions what is more fulfilling or agonizing— never getting what one desires, or obtaining the object of one’s desire only to find that it did not meet one’s expectations? Does the subject inLure hold the fishing pole, or is she dangling from the hook? In Chase, what are the ultimate goals of the participants— would satisfaction be achieved for the subjects or the audience if the actions were to be completed? If so, how profound or superficial would that fulfillment be? The videos’ subjects exist in a state of limbo, working towards or waiting for a culmination of their actions, a release that never comes. Given wants the videos to be alluring as well as disconcerting so as to echo the push/pull of the works’ basis.
