3-4
Commercial War
Following a countdown, six sequences unfold in succession. Visual elements from ads for Coca-Cola, hamburgers, and cosmetics are combined with audio clips from Japanese TV commercials. These juxtapositions generate a pronounced sensation of cognitive dissonance, and removed from their original advertising contexts, the images and words take on a satirical tone. The first sequence in particular includes sporadic audio fragments that evoke a parliamentary debate, conveying an ironic take on the relentless flood of images and information disseminated by television and the emptiness of political rhetoric. In the final scene, a photograph of a crowd with indistinct faces is paired with dialogue that might be interpreted as critiquing the public itself.