Polaroid Cocaine (1993)

The thrill of cocaine becomes a metaphor for the consumption of images in this short montage The title and lyrics come from Auders friend and 2001 Prix Goncourt winner JeanJacques Shuhl The piece is composed entirely of still photographs from a variety of books and magazines that simultaneously reveal and feed an addiction to spectacle With a source that is once removed Auders scopophilia is symptomatic of society at large The song is performed by legendary chanteuse Ingrid Caven Suffused with a bittersweet melancholy Canvens seasoned voice compliments Auders selection of images which dwell on the themes of death destruction and desire The melody is classic cabaret performed by a pianoviolin duo who dramatically heighten the works already dark eroticism