All of a Sudden I Began to Melt is the new short film by artist/filmmaker Ruth Waters and Foreign Body Productions. Reflecting on contemporary wellness and the space it occupies in our culture and psyche, the film is set within a serene, sterile spa treatment room and takes place during a massage, exploring the strangeness of worker-client relations in a luxury environment.
The treatment takes an uncanny turn when the client notices a half eaten packet of wotsits on the sideboard; like the grit in the massage oil, their incongruous presence shatters the facade of the luxury experience. Climaxing in an uncanny exchange between client and wotsit, the work raises questions about society's desire for clinical, perfectly manicured, “quasi-spiritual” wellness experiences, and the impossible goal of complete control over our mental and physical environments
Waters’ works often ruminate on what effect late-capitalist society has on our psyche. Positioned in a context of dark humour, her scripted films implant animated everyday foods in acted scenes and shift seamlessly between the mundane and the surreal, often leaving the viewer asking which is which. Taking her own personal experiences as a starting point, she contemplates what it is to experience - and try to overcome - modern anxiety.
The work premiered at the 1646 Gallery in the Hague in October 2021, before being installed at Kingsgate Project Space in February 2022. Please contact info@foreignbodyproductions.com if you would like to request a viewing.