self-violence

But by the end, in keeping with an opera that’s more subtle than it seems at first glance, ketchup transforms from a nasty sight gag to the use you might expect for Eddy’s act of self-violence, taking on an unexpected tragic grandeur.

But when the play, having coasted along as easy satire, tries to shift gears into a high drama of violence and self-violence, it quickly overheats.

“Burning Doors” starkly illustrates that his actions — and those of his fellow artists — mock the absurdity of arbitrary power by making artistic gestures that might look ridiculous from the outside, but reveal something about the seriousness of their political situations, and attract attention from the outside world with viscerality and self-violence.

“To be so young is a kind of self-violence. No foresight, an inflated sense of wisdom, and yet you’re still responsible for your mistakes. It’s a little frightening to remember just how much, and how precisely, I felt. Now, if the world really did end, I think I’d just feel numb.”

All of which is to say these videos are exhilarating, but don’t end with self-violence by the videographer, and a profound burden of shame for you the viewer.