There’s something about Bridget Moser’s video and performance work that makes me feel a really dense spectrum of feelings. There’s confusion, familiarity, calm, and lots of giggles. Moser plays in a generic, institutional aesthetic — classrooms, pantsuits, pillows and a lot of chairs in a subdued palette of grays, whites, and cotton greens. But her monologues and movements are quietly charged with unexpectedly high stakes, vulnerability, and stress.
Playfully and sometimes lovingly critiquing the art scene, consumerism, and post-modern self-involvement, Moser’s work is in the same hilarious and way-too-close-to-home category as comic and performance artist Walter Scott (Wendy) and the alt-comedy stylings of Neil LaPierre and the other performers who regularly appear at Double Double Land’s Doored series in Toronto.
One thing that fascinates me about Moser’s work is also how well it translates through documentation — her vimeo channel contains live recordings of live performances as well as pieces that exist specifically through video. Yet both seem strikingly influenced by the world of contemporary dance, as well.
I have this problem where I go to Bridget Moser’s video channel and start watching everything in this weird calm hypnotic way. So if you’re okay to get sucked in and have some conflicted feels and laugh a lot, check it out here.
Jonathan Valelly is a Toronto-based writer, editor, and community artist. He is the assistant editor of Broken Pencil.