The Oral Thing

Drawing on the often inane and repetitive nature of daytime television, Melhus creates complex, almost surreal scenarios that parody the formats of TV religious programs, advertisements, and chat shows such as Maury Povitch. In much of his work, Melhus produces strange 'sets' that emulate both the physical designs of talk shows, as well as the behavior patterns of participants and audiences. Adopting the guise of both male and female parts in a way that makes each seem almost genderless, Melhus acts out his own 'narratives' that use, amongst other devices, music and TV sound excerpts. Jenny Scene is an excerpt of the film Auto Center Drive, an encounter between the voices of two pop icons, Janis Joplin and James Dean.