Critical Writing Index

The Videos of Norman Cohn: Beyond Seduction

by Karen Henry

Video Guide, Sept. 1989, v. 10, no. 2, p. 15

The article focuses on the relationship between Norman Cohn, the camera and children; specifically children who exist without sight and sound. Norman Cohn's video Quartet for Deafblind, a documentary shot in a school for the deaf and blind in Nova Scotia, is discussed at length. A key theme in this article is objectification.

"In the piece's humility towards the subject, the tape undermines the distance inherent in the image, personalizing rather than distancing, moving beyond tthe seducions of media representation to a depth of communication not often achieved."

ITEM 1989.045 – available for viewing in the Research Centre

Videos, Artworks and Artists Cited

Quartet for DeafblindNorman Cohn