⇧Ctrl/⌘Pwr
⇧Ctrl/⌘Pwr (ShiftControl/CommandPower) utilizes digital technology to confront environments otherwise difficult for womxn to navigate. Digital media and green screens allow Eliana Cetto to build her own atmosphere to reveal the violent nature of public space. Cetto grant's herself the right to inhabit situations safely by inserting her nude self into the intersections of oppression she experiences as a queer Latina. The performance is a critical response to her life as a womxn on the streets of San Jose and a reaction to everyday sexism and rape culture. The large-scale video installation uses the backdrop of San Jose at night to confront public space, objectification, and street harassment.
In video loop, Cetto dresses herself in reverse slow motion, exploring the spectacle of garments as a mechanism to reveal and conceal. This references clothing as a tool for security and resistance against the gaze, while highlighting its ultimate inefficiency. Clothing and skin are not the consequence of feminine vulnerability, and whether one is nude or clothed, the intrusive gaze is ever-present. The audience is made aware of this through constant eye contact in an effort to threaten thoughtless titillation and evoke confrontation. Cetto deflects objectification and envelops the viewer in a threatening environment with the ten-foot projection and found sound. Cetto claims space and seeks to illuminate digital performance as a form of self-preservation, empowerment and resistance.