Fire!/Hendrix

1982, 3:13 min, color, sound

Commissioned by VideoGram International, Ltd., for a videodisc of music by Jimi Hendrix, Fire! uses the stylized visuals and pacing of a music video to critique the representational economies of sexuality and consumerism. Translating the psychedelic fervor of the Hendrix song into a contemporary visual vernacular, Birnbaum similarly recasts the lyrics' meaning. A young woman is the "protagonist" of a fragmented narrative in which Birnbaum re-frames images of American consumerism and commodities — fast food, cars, the exchange of money. Birnbaum calls attention to the woman's relation to the advertising image: she is consumed as she is consuming.

Woman: Lisa Limber. Camera: Dara Birnbaum, Art Nomura. Scripting Consultant: Amnon Buchbinder. Music: Jimi Hendrix. Production Assistant: Dorit Cypis. 2nd Assistant: Simeon Soffer. Shot in Los Angeles, CA. Edited at Electronic Arts Intermix NY, NY. Created for Videogram International.