Plot Summary
Access to video technology had largely been limited to corporate-run TV studios until the Sony Portapak, a battery-powered video tape recorder that could be carried by one person, was popularized in the early 1970s. This device also allowed artists to see what they were recording in real time and to immediately play it back, prompting investigations of technology’s increasingly fluid relationship to the body, language, and time itself. Shigeko Kubota’s ”Self-Portrait” embodied the boundless potential of the new medium and the freedom from precedent it represented. This work, in which Kubota interacts with her own image, contains some of her earliest known experimentation with video. Here, she used new tools to manipulate the electronic signal, creating previously unimaginable colors and patterns, and unraveling established conventions of image-making right before our eyes. [Overview courtesy of Erica Papernik-Shimizu via MoMA]
Full Cast & Characters
Director & Crew
Shigeko Kubota
Director
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Find Self-Portrait StreamingFrequently Asked Questions
Where can I watch Self-Portrait online?
Self-Portrait (1971) is available to stream on various platforms. You can also watch it online via our Watch Online button.
What is the IMDb rating of Self-Portrait?
It has an IMDb rating of 0.0/10 based on 0 votes.
Who directed Self-Portrait?
Self-Portrait was directed by Shigeko Kubota and released in 1971.
How long is Self-Portrait?
Self-Portrait has a runtime of 0 hours and 5 minutes.
Movie Details
- Release Date
- 1971-10-27
- Status
- Released