A Season in Hell

The multimedia installation "A Season in Hell" created by Randall Packer, John Anderson, and Charles Lane blurs the line between reality and fantasy. The piece criticizes the political regime of President George W. Bush, referring to his reign in office as a "Season in Hell." Elements of myth, political speeches and televised news reports are combined to weave an alternate reality, or a "hyper-reality." The character "Orph" takes us (the audience) and ultimately Packer through the depths of hell on a mythic journey. Interestingly, "factual" events are interwoven with the fantastical to create a sense of disorientation. One does not know what is fact and what is fantasy, thus illustrating how illusive and disconnected our government is with its citizens. News reports, which are supposed to offer unbiased information, are really just another way of confusing and ultimately controlling the public. Times of true crisis become sensationalized plot lines for the next blockbuster film. The piece left me questioning what it is I really know about the topic at hand, and whether truths and facts can actually exist once circulated through the circus that is the media.