The MY HEART… Series is a collaborative project initiated by Nikki Forrest, Annie Martin and Nelson Henricks. Artists were invited to produce short video works (of one- to two-minutes in length) on the theme of ‘love’. Each one approached the theme from a different angle, whether it be love’s generosity, lust, romantic addiction, erotic compulsion, unstable identities, obsession, or simply people looking for love. The resulting catalogue of works creates an index of the different aspects of love that’s as dizzying and diverse as our experience of love itself. Series artists included contributions from Tricia Middleton & Joel Taylor, Emily Vey Duke & Cooper Battersby, Deb Van Slet, Anne Golden, Clark Nikolai, Meesoo Lee, Sarah Abbot & Jeremy Drummond, Laurel Woodcock, Joe Hiscott, David Clark, Dayna McLeod and Wendy Coburn. Below are three of Henricks’ contribution to the series.

 

My Heart the Optometrist
Single channel video, 1:00, 2001
I am near-sighted. When I see a potentially beautiful boy at a distance, I perceive him as perfectly beautiful. Gradually, as he approaches, he begins to accumulate defects which detract from his overall beauty, sometimes to the point where he ceases to be attractive at all.

 

 

My Heart the Philosopher
Single channel video, 1:30, 2001
A men’s magazine suggested this as a way to make yourself interesting to other human beings: take up a hobby, for example medieval history. Then you can go to parties and pepper your conversation with facts about the middle ages. This is a recipe for disaster, a technique that can have devastating results in the wrong hands. It’s like entrusting a toddler with a firearm.

 

 

My Heart the Interior Decorator
Single channel video, 1:50, 2006
So you get home from the store with a large cardboard box and you realize your ability to assemble this piece of furniture is significant. It’s a barometer of your future relationship.