in the hbo series, game of thrones, hodor protects the heir to the throne. he can only speak the nonsense phrase “hodor.” he is deeply loyal, and during the show he is repeatedly physically and mentally possessed by the telepathic heir to various ends. in his moment of death, we see a revealing flashback— he saw his death many years ago and has since been only capable of occupying and articulating the moment in which he dies, “hodor” or “hold the door”. his identity being articulated as the moment of his death resonated with the how depictions and narrative deployments of black death, as well as the labor leading up to and surrounding these deaths, are mobilized in popular film and television. how that moves in conjunction with the respectability politics that mediate our political and social value in these obligations towards care, labor, sacrifice and performance —or what we are continually expected to hold at bay— brought me to the work that comprises hoe dor.
hoe dor is a multi-channel video installation created as part of Open Signal’s New Media Fellowship. Sourcing, processing and glitching video from popular film and television, hoe dor is a collection of work invested in reaching behind, inside and underneath black narrative, image and performance. How do we talk about the things we’re not supposed to? What happens when we see what is deliberately hidden? Who do we fail when we are messy, irreverent and bitter? How do we handle, process and heal from the pain we’re expected to bear with grace?
