Sam Taylor-Wood - A Little Death (2002)

[stardust4ever]

The peach is a biblical reference. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, therefore they must die. Because the fruit is tainted by the spirit of the devil, the flies won't eat it. The rabbit met the same fate as Adam and Eve, and likewise, sick and disgusting as it may be, we will ultimately see the same fate as that rabbit.

[Ssmileplz]

I'm watching this and the entire time I was like, why is the peach not rotting

[LauraaAndCharliee]

Is anyone else looking at this for there art coursework..??

[GamagothRULES]

All in all, this was not a good video to watch while you're comfortable in bed and getting ready to fall asleep.

[ChairBriere]

Entomological lesson: most necrophagic insects are quite specific in what they will eat and when. Forensic entomologists can determine how long a body (human or otherwise) has been dead based on the species of animals found on it, what developmental stage they are at, where the body was found (wet vs arid) and what the local weather records, to within a few hours. SO, simply put, they're not eating the peach because that's not their kinda noms.

[116Bears]

@ChairBriere

Or, more likely, the artist put a fresh peach there before every photograph to show the dynamics between the decaying and fresh.

[stardust4ever]

@116Bears No two fruits are identical. Go to the grocery store and browse the produce section. Each piece of fruit will have slight variations. You would have noticed the countless swaps in the video.

[Acerola211]

Fascinating! Are those maggots? What's happening to the walll? Why won't they eat the goddamn peach? Why did the meat turn black? The fur stays intact, eh? Thanks for the vid, it was interesting.

[lionheart1069]

@Bistrica5Star

Or perhaps the fact that maggots each flesh over fruit, it's got more protein. Or maybe even the fact that Peach pits contain toxins which most animals and insects can smell? So It's not chemicals and such.

[lexa490]

no...ugh why did I watch this....

[MissSlumpdump]

Why did I feel the need to watch this?

[spiritfox11]

i saw this after dinner. i don't feel so good xD

[Fuckyouimfamousbaby]

OMFG. Why i am looking at this video ?

I think the peach is the symbol of eternity or something like that

[MissJellyBeans101]

This is lovely but....not something to watch while youre eating like i just did.

[suckuranus]

unless cremated, we're gonna end up like the bunny shown.

[Cheesebunni]

wow

[JeeesssicaRiooooos]

what does the peach represent?

[HLGmatrix1]

@JeeesssicaRiooooos a peach

[gothicgrowler]

That was beautiful :'( Pure art!!

[bamaboy2233]

plants versus zombies peaches will survive

[bistrica5star]

this shows how unhealthy our fruit is. even maggots wont eat it. its full of chemicals.

[RockLobsta23]

@bistrica5star ... and that maggots eat meat...not fruits.

[BEOfficial]

@bistrica5star Oh god. That's not why the maggots don't eat them; the fruit is symbolic. Nothing to do with chemicals.

[evanescent95]

The wall goes dark because as the organs of the rabbit start to rot, they produce moisture. And when the maggots have eaten everything and hatched into flies, the moisture in the room dries up.

[evanescent95]

This is why I'm being cremated. In a maggot's point of view, there's no difference between a rabbit and a human.

[Chaoitcme]

Yep Sam Taylor Wood is a female. This is also art. Although it deals with the death of one rabbit this video is really about the life of millions of others.

[MINTYVIDEOS1]

im not saying that anyone is wrong, im just giving my personal opinion.

I've just studied this for my AS level course and what me and my tutor concluded was that the whole composition of the piece, the hare, th fruit, the dark lighting and the plain background was to mimic the Dutch still life paintings which were when artists were commissioned to paint the belongings of a family, for example a wine jug, fruit, and expensive silverware to show the affluency of the artists client.

[nickshel]

God it's not a rabbit it's a hare. It's partly about the amount of preservatives and stuff in fruit but also about the futility of life and although some things seem more important they pass far quicker.

[Chaoitcme]

@nickshel I think that is piece is more about life. We only see one ended life in it, yet we see millions of other lives being born.

[nickshel]

@Chaoitcme nice one, i like that.

[crackyhoss]

what's the timeframe here? like the video just curious as to how hours/days this took place in.

[Chaoitcme]

@crackyhoss I believe that this was filmed over a month. I can not tell you how many shots per second it was recorded in but I believe that it was filmed over a month.

[Sanshaino]

Actually pretty awesome.

Suitable name, there was in fact a little death in this video as compared to the life.

[PhallusNocturne]

"the curtain were fucking blue!" - The author

Ppl needing to find a deeper meaning to everything makes me so sad. You try to sound so educated but in the end you are nothing but arrogant bastards. You fail to understand most of what you are looking at trying to find ways to impress the very few who actually listen to you.

The peach is a control. It's not a comment on society or the peril of polar bear in a climate changing world it's a fucking peach.

FYI this is not art, it's science!

[nickshel]

@PhallusNocturne FYI actually no it's not it's art.

[Sophmog]

@PhallusNocturne What are you talking about? Sam Taylor Wood is a fine artist.

[PacoRV]

@PhallusNocturne I agreed with everything, except with "FYI this is not art, it's science" emmm google is your friend... search for Sam Taylor Wood, he is actually a video artist. Oh BTW I hate people who relates everything with science... start living for God's sake!. So, who's the arrogant bastard now?

[ellieluvsu4eva]

@PacoRV she you mean...Sam Taylor Wood is a woman...i hope you googled that :)

[CommanderFensom]

Decomposition and the Art of decay to me is showing the unmerciless world, the world will eat at that rabbit without thinking about it's beauty or even let it be at peace.

[Twonkx]

why is the wall turning black?

[zmey5431]

@valenaz86 personally I'm not a big fan of art. But the definition of art is something that has no purpose other than being art. Therfore this is art. And I think the peach is probably wax

[valenaz86]

awfull video, this shit it not art. Poor bunny :'(

[Chaoitcme]

@valenaz86 Poor bunny??? Just think of how many lives are born from it. Millions of lives are thriving from this one rabbit and you can view that by watching the video. Poor bunny... no this was probably purchased from a place that would have sold it to be consumed anyways. This video is about life. 

[VictoriaAlicePierce]

looks more like a hare

[XzantX]

im hungry



[dvdsmlprstylr]

*shit, I forgot to kill the rabbit first!*

[iNoamfer]

Can anyone tell me what is up with the huge stains on the wall?

[cHeryljwanG]

@iNoamfer I think the maggots are covered in blood and when they started crawling on the wall, it started staining the wall. As more maggots went onto the wall, more followed, and the stain got bigger and bigger.

[xMrSmarTx]

@cHeryljwanG It's moisture from the maggots.

[allydalley]

I think that is a Hare not a Rabbit

[cutyvill]

animals in general are full of proteins and oils they are full of fat too....

plants are generally high in acid and its poisonous for maggots. these parasitic worms that feed on flesh and plants.

But I'm sure there are other fruits that attracts them more than peaches.

( like your video this help show awareness)

[candide1924]

a play on translation .... "petie morte"

[vortie8]

Visually Incredible.

[prfidia]

I would hit that bunny...

While the peach watches and touches itself

[shadow8pro]

What's going on with the coloration of the wall?

[vetromaster]

I guess there's two lessons in that video-

1. Wash your fruit, you never know what that peach might have been doing for a few moths between the orchards and the fridge.

2. If you don't want tampering with your corpse - opt for cremation:)

[Jontenn]

i could it taht rabbit faster.

[JacqBLUEjay]

the peach is plastic. Good thing we don't have smellivision.

[steeltrust68]

The combination of this stylish arrangement which nearly looks like a painting with the decomposition process is morbid, disgusting, beautiful. Great work.

[pelliscarlos]

I just want to cry.

It is so moving.

I don´t even feel sad,

I just want to cry my eyes out

´till death do us apart....

[TheJoeyTaylor]

Looks like something from The Evil Dead.

[JeramyTheGirl]

The peach is chuck norris

[clainley22]

does anyone know how long this took?



[Vorsatz13]

antidegradant peach

[Sharkie1414]

Thats quite a video

[8inisa]

GMO peach?

[8inisa]

GMO peach?

[sevenlovesyou]

eww i feel itchy watching this

[roryjoeman]

"i'm a peach get me out of here!"

[kingofskateop]

Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin style...

[Swyved]

@kingofskateop Oh my goodness THANK YOU!!! I saw this video and it reminded me of an exhibition I saw at Museo Del Prado in Madrid. But I could not for the LIFE of me remember what the artist's name was. You have satisfied a months-long curiosity. THANK YOU!!!

[XxPr0xxEl1t3xX]

Someone has to let me know why the wall changes color and seems to decay about halfway through and then just disappears.

[Edwiness]

@XxPr0xxEl1t3xX think its moisture... the moisture dries up once the maggots go.

[windysan]

Where's my Hossenfeffer !!??!!

[craisin7]

Watch carefully. This is the fate that awaits us all. Just a fact of life.

[pratima2208]

ew.

[jerrygreg2]

Er . . . surely that's a hare.

[incesticideinutero]

i hate maggotsssss

[omgitsviolet]

this is interesting, but yet it's really disturbing. poor rabbit.

[DrumRolePlease]

The peach is clearly not real, even if 'maggot's don't like fruit' it would still rot from micro organisms. The artist is obviously using it as a contrast.

[Dancingstagequeen]

ew, thanks abdn uni for this. ew.

[GRHN1992]

UNLUCKY

[rrayface]

this is in no way art.. this is just foul. What makes people think that a rabbits life is worth anyless than a humans? you discusting people, I believe that the "artist" diserves the same fate as this rabbit got.. how would they like it if someone tied their body to a wall and watched it decay? I bet they wouldnt consider it art then.

[hoah]

I doubt the rabbit was killed for the purpose of the piece. i don't know how you assume the depiction of the creature decaying means its "life is worth less than humans". This probably says more about you than it does the artist.

[zombiesandaliens]

@rrayface Walk down the road in the country and you see things like this every day. She hasn't harmed the rabbit at all, it was dead to begin with. She's simply just showing the viewer what happens naturally in death. Its an observation on the world we live in, and there is nothing to suggest that she thinks less of the rabbit.

[joeneschumi]

yeesh. sam taylor-wood's house must smell awful, with all the rotten fruit and decomposed animals in there :)

[joelcrofts]

I think the point of the fruit was to show:

1. maggots dont like fruit and that they are vicious meat eaters and will eat even cute bunny rabbits.

2. that maggots eat things incredibly quickly and the usually quick to die fruit remains untouched, to dislpay the high speed which these buggers eat.

I'm sure theres a deaper more important measage but that in my opinion is the clinical explination

[Chaoitcme]

@joelcrofts The fruit is fake...

[aprilisdead]

wonderful! yup yup!

[paolocerva]

ciao kevin..

[kieranbarnes95]

doesnt it get annoying after a while with ur walls stain with rabbit blood?? sweat art though

[FAKE700]

very very good!

[xXCali4niaBeachesXx]

This is so sick poor animal

[StillnessVanishing]

So she sacrificed an animal for the sake of "art?"

Nice, very nice. -_-

[oucy]

There's a beautiful juxtaposition between the untouched fruit and the completely decayed hare, the peach must have been fake or something

[jababyxd]

pedophile!!!

[marginallymental]

a kind of perverse still-life

[milethdividida]

hermoso

[PainAncient]

E questa sarebbe un'artista?

Ma vaffanculo!

Che schifo,cristo santo.

[hustavat]

@PainAncient : dai mostraci tu un po' d'arte

[PainAncient]

Volontieri,dato che anche un piccolo ed inutile sassolino,potrebbe esser preso in considerazione,

rispetto a questo degrado.

[walpert09]

what is the patch thing in the backround?

[almagee81]

you feel sorry for the HARE!!!!!

[jezziewkdo9]

there not disturbed actually it is art

[xjoolzxx]

This is really disturbing who the f**k think of this sh*t !!! Omg poor thing this person is disturbed!!!!

[rixeaun]

daft.

[billywillyjilly]

maggots hate peaches.

[igneouz]

@billywillyjilly No, Im sure they think they're fabulous.... oooh, maggots!

[MaxAndGrrrace]

....and this is why i want to be cremated when i die.

[TrippyCustodian]

She is truly a talented artist.

[RivaJane]

*barf*

[salvy41]

I rly feel sry for da dog eh

[almagee81]

ITS A HARE!!!!!!!!!!!

[salvy41]

yo mn cnt u c its a dog. wt a idiot

[tchan94]

I love how inbetween 4:08-11 on the far right the blood gets absorbed into the other side of whatever wall is next door

[TheMoscs]

is sam really going out with aaron johnson??

[TaraGm]

I dont understand what happens to the wall either, maybe its moist from the hare corpse being absorbed and then drying?

I do think its good art though.

[Abolfoof]

i dont get what happens to the wall though.

[captsmiley]

How much time elapsed from beginning to end?

[ChaosSwissRoll]

I heard the photos were shot for about a 4 month period

[fullestvixy]

i love the way the apple has remained untouched and unchanged... showing just how quick this decomposition must be.

[ChaosSwissRoll]

Its a peach and the maggerts make me feel sick x(

[mggentry]

that's a rock or added digitally

[fingerbibs]

this video is 'wow', really

[cuove]

wow thats crazy