visual art

((in a( ))(n( ))ot)her life ((oh) (b(r)ot( ))her)

length: 1 video, 624 words, 2 images

Erica "ERN" Rivera (she/they)

Erica "ERN" Rivera (she/they)

— 3 min read

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above: link to download page for a 4-minute .mp4 file showing the opening scene from season 3, episode 1 of the tv show Lost. the video is described below.

close-up of a white woman's eye.

she picks a compact disc to play music from and loads it into a CD player. she tries to prepare herself for her day, on the verge of tears but buoyed by the lyrics of Petula Clark's "Downtown."

she arranges the living room for a group but is interrupted by the beeping of a fire alarm: burnt muffins, she burns herself pulling them out of the oven, charred muffins roll across the floor.

doorbell rings. an older white woman at the door seems sympathetic as the younger white woman says, "i burnt my hand. and my muffins." an unseen man works on fixing her plumbing, which the two woman complain jokingly about.

the book club begins.

an annoying white man with glasses: "it's not even literature, it's popcorn."

older white woman: "and why isn't it literature, adam? i'm dying to know."

adam: "there's no metaphor. it's by-the-numbers religious hokum-pokum..."

older white woman, talking over adam, incensed: "no metaphors??"

adam: "...it's science fiction. now i know why ben isn't here."

this pulls the younger white woman out of her bored daydreaming.

younger white woman: "excuse me?"

adam: "i know the host picks the book, but seriously, julie, he wouldn't read this in the damn bathroom."

the older white woman looks satisfied as julie stands her ground indignantly: "well, adam, i am the host and i do pick the books and this... is my favorite book so i am absolutely thrilled that you can't stand it. silly me! for sinking so low as to select something that ben wouldn't like; here i am, thinking that free will actually exists on—"

a rumbling like an earthquake shakes the home. cutlery and decorative plates fall to the ground and shatter. the book club scatters, hiding under doorways for a moment until the shaking stops. everyone goes outside. a feeble-looking white man comes out of a nearby home, looking deadly serious. everyone watches as a burning plane flies overhead before splitting into two. julie looks petrified. the feeble white man begins barking orders. he sends two white men to investigate the crash, demanding that one of them infiltrate any group of survivors: "listen. learn," and with extra emphasis: "don't get involved. i want lists in three days. go."

the feeble white man walks over to julie, who is holding a copy of Stephen King's Carrie. he tells her: "so i guess i'm out of the book club." a mixture of hurt, confusion, and annoyance on her face as she turns to walk away. dramatic string music as the camera cuts to aerial shots that are farther and farther away, revealing where all this is happening: a tiny, remote village surrounded by giant mountains and, clearly, completely and extremely isolated.

image of what may be page 1 of a manuscript? what is next to the page number is redacted. printed words scattered across the page read: "GUIDE In short, science and English and history and power use everything. us our writing. this novel?" the number 341 is written in pen, to the right of the word "GUIDE".
image of what may be page 1 of a manuscript? what is next to the page number is redacted. printed words scattered across the page read: "GUIDE In short, science and English and history and power use everything. us our writing. this novel?" the number 341 is written in pen, to the right of the word "GUIDE".

image of what may be page 65 of a manuscript? what is next to the page number is redacted. in pen at top-right: "GUIDE," an arrow pointing at it next to the words, "in same place as first page." in pen at top-left, askew, below a small rectangular block indicating something was redacted: "Octavia E. Butler Pasadena, California May 1999". printed words scattered across the page read: "What you you think about? people who read think about the United States, the human are we going? are we creating? want to live? it isn't better Individually in groups what can we do?" a small rectangular block at bottom indicating something was redacted
image of what may be page 65 of a manuscript? what is next to the page number is redacted. in pen at top-right: "GUIDE," an arrow pointing at it next to the words, "in same place as first page." in pen at top-left, askew, below a small rectangular block indicating something was redacted: "Octavia E. Butler Pasadena, California May 1999". printed words scattered across the page read: "What would you think about? people who read think about the United States, the human are we going? are we creating? want to live? it isn't better Individually in groups what can we do?". a small rectangular block at bottom indicating something was redacted.

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