Am I Alive or Am I Dead? (2002)

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  • Опубліковано 4 тра 2023
  • This is a silent video I made for Dana Moser's Intro To Video class at Massachusetts College of Art in 2002. I shot it on miniDV tape at my parents' house in Marlborough on a freezing winter day. Enjoy.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 871

  • @drew2789
    @drew2789 Рік тому +761

    Fun fact: this was Katya's drag race audition tape

    • @lrizzard
      @lrizzard Рік тому +69

      they just mailed her the crown after watching

    • @MuneCharbon
      @MuneCharbon Місяць тому

      Whoa 😮 did not know this!!

  • @moonlightboiii
    @moonlightboiii Рік тому +1790

    It’s fascinating how one could see this young Brian and see his personality unfold as Katya without being surprised based on these photos.

    • @SDWife
      @SDWife Рік тому +61

      Not photos either. A moving art piece, in both senses. Stupid and beautiful.

    • @Rain_Reign
      @Rain_Reign Рік тому +27

      @@SDWife i love how still he is that you question whether it’s maybe really a photo only to see some other thing in the frame move. Like the toothpaste drip.

    • @fries_spice
      @fries_spice Рік тому +5

      I have no idea what this sentence means

    • @adrian_hook
      @adrian_hook Рік тому +1

      What photos babe

  • @aarongaines5674
    @aarongaines5674 Рік тому +1596

    This feels like a movie you would have found in the depths of the internet that became a viral underground hit and garnered some kind of urban legend that the man in the video was actually dead and being posed by his killer.

    • @sbreann3353
      @sbreann3353 Рік тому +14

      Lol I love this

    • @cupofcait
      @cupofcait Рік тому +39

      Honestly we should still make that rumor happen lol

    • @fey0217
      @fey0217 Рік тому +22

      honestly yeah. i feel like if katya hadn't gotten successful and this video went viral on here it would gain the same reputation as videos like i feel fantastic or robert helpmann's daisy videos

    • @hilsimp
      @hilsimp Рік тому +15

      I mean isn't this man dead by Katyas hands

    • @eoincampbell1584
      @eoincampbell1584 Рік тому +16

      Tracy is still puppeting that corpse to this day

  • @emmarie2930
    @emmarie2930 Рік тому +897

    The toothpaste dripping off of your mouth in what appeared to be a static image was actually very cool.

    • @ejej1187
      @ejej1187 Рік тому +13

      they're all videos by the way, you can see leaves moving and things like that

    • @emmarie2930
      @emmarie2930 Рік тому +23

      @@ejej1187 yeah, I know! But the toothpaste part was great because the images tend to be appearing to be not moving (despite the fact that you can see breathing, muscle twitches, etc.)

    • @bath_foam4576
      @bath_foam4576 Рік тому +8

      katya is probably a pro at the mannequin challenge because i thought this was a really good slideshow until you pointed that out

  • @bernae1902
    @bernae1902 Рік тому +1500

    Katya, in the David Lynch video challenge, you were truly wild at heart. Condragulations, you’re the winner of this week’s challenge!

    • @Lumi_F
      @Lumi_F Рік тому +68

      *Guest judge Laura Dern claps and gives Katya a knowing smile *

    • @dariosilvestri473
      @dariosilvestri473 Рік тому +17

      @@Lumi_F so much YES to this. Like the John Waters episode but with Lynch.

    • @dadsocksss
      @dadsocksss Рік тому +3

      really appreciate your continued candidness

    • @davidkocik5495
      @davidkocik5495 Рік тому +17

      Katya, in the David Lynch challenge you made we went to fire walk with you and on the runway you were smoother than blue velvet

    • @anonymous-yk9sz
      @anonymous-yk9sz Рік тому +1

      Oh that’s what this is! Bravo, Katya!! this is disturbing in a very lynchian way

  • @hanizahSH
    @hanizahSH Рік тому +771

    The level of mannequin stillness realness is giving Oscars. Get this woman her BAFTA!

    • @laschlein9470
      @laschlein9470 Рік тому +14

      Give this woman her EGOT, purple heart, pullitzer, Nobel peace prize

    • @faetal_toxin
      @faetal_toxin Рік тому

      ​@@laschlein9470‼️

    • @SizzleMoonSong
      @SizzleMoonSong 16 днів тому

      🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

  • @APopptart
    @APopptart Рік тому +153

    This is one step away from becoming analog horror. This is great

  • @adp5058
    @adp5058 Рік тому +876

    A true masterpiece made by the woman of the century

    • @TheSweeeet1234
      @TheSweeeet1234 Рік тому +22

      a good christian woman, to add to that

    • @MommyOfZoeAndLiam
      @MommyOfZoeAndLiam Рік тому

      I would expect nothing less from a biological woman who only wears makeup in a god honoring way with her church pal Tracy.

  • @conorjhughes
    @conorjhughes Рік тому +597

    this was actually incredible. the last 30 or so seconds were genuinely terrifying

  • @ellellio
    @ellellio Рік тому +839

    The return to your channel via old student art films is the best thing to happen on UA-cam in years. Thank you for sharing them, I’m obsessed xx

  • @alicelopez130
    @alicelopez130 Рік тому +313

    This is the vulnerability we have been waiting to see, great job this week

  • @soysantiagoarellano1504
    @soysantiagoarellano1504 Рік тому +281

    Katya, your genre, if you could be classified, is "ominous comedy". The surface is comic, but we know there's something lurking underneath. You are great.

  • @Mezzy..
    @Mezzy.. Рік тому +116

    I appreciate how you could've easily just used still photos but instead just stood very still

    • @msmltvcktl
      @msmltvcktl Рік тому +11

      For an "Introduction to Video" class? You couldn't use still photos and expect to get a passing grade, no matter how Katya you are.

    • @leiasleeping1282
      @leiasleeping1282 Рік тому +1

      That would kinda defeat the purpose

  • @Mezzy..
    @Mezzy.. Рік тому +229

    Believe it or not, katya was *20* here. He was in art college at this time plus, always had a perfect set of pearly whites.

    • @sarataylor6169
      @sarataylor6169 Рік тому +43

      We've seen so many photos of Young Trixie Brian, but I don't believe we've seen much Young Katya Brian. The negative way he describes himself you would think that Young Katya Brian was super unattractive, which nope! Slightly skinhead looking at times, and at one point kinda ghost looking haha. But still a very nice looking young man.

    • @GlobalPsybreaksOfficial
      @GlobalPsybreaksOfficial Рік тому +28

      @@sarataylor6169 always been hot. still hot. never gonna not be hot.

    • @fauxsorcier
      @fauxsorcier Рік тому +17

      @@sarataylor6169 "Slightly skinhead looking at times" brand new sentence.

    • @doeeyes2
      @doeeyes2 Рік тому +1

      Despite all the meth, Brian still has miraculously perfect teeth.

    • @doeeyes2
      @doeeyes2 Рік тому +6

      ​@@sarataylor6169 he looks like he could be an extra on the set of the movie American History X

  • @HughMiller98
    @HughMiller98 Рік тому +163

    I actually really love the "Is it better? Or worse?" section at the end. Gives a deep meaning to us glasses wearers.

    • @FPwLola
      @FPwLola Рік тому +1

      That was the first thing I thought of! 😂 Art.

  • @MitchellWiggs
    @MitchellWiggs Рік тому +33

    its wild to see how different her old videos are from trixie's old videos lol

  • @thaothanh3365
    @thaothanh3365 Рік тому +66

    Remember katya used to say that “ when I was 19 in college, my idea was horrible “ . Is this what called horrible ?!

  • @theredphantom
    @theredphantom Рік тому +617

    This hit a little too close to home. As someone who’s been struggling with depression their whole life this was a perfect representation of what it feels like. Thank you for sharing with us.

    • @cwhite6397
      @cwhite6397 Рік тому +42

      I completely agree. I was just ranting about how I don’t even feel alive because maybe I’m not then this dropped

    • @plutonium2
      @plutonium2 Рік тому +19

      @@cwhite6397 off topic but I’ve been feeling that way myself a lot since Covid and it turns out so have a lot of the people I know. Which just then creeps me out even more. Why did so many of us feel like we had died and this wasn’t real anymore after the pandemic? Such a weird side effect of the shut down and the virus in general.

    • @-VoDkAsVengeance-
      @-VoDkAsVengeance- Рік тому +3

      @@plutonium2 Because humans are social creatures and, despite how much we rely on technology and normalize the use of social media in our day-to-day, it didn't totally bridge the gap. The brain basically punishes the body by releasing negative chemicals if it hasn't interacted face-to-face with another brain in awhile (this is why total isolation will drive a person to become incredibly anxious, lose track of time, and eventually even hallucinate.)

    • @plutonium2
      @plutonium2 Рік тому +3

      @@-VoDkAsVengeance- well perhaps. I’m not sure that it is the definitive answer but it’s an engaging speculation.

  • @itsyaboypedro
    @itsyaboypedro Рік тому +226

    I've always wanted to get a glimpse of what the early art student years were like for Katya, I really am endlessly happy she's sharing these pieces. Can't wait to see more, hell, a retrospective podcast or even a gallery show would be amazing. Great stuff!!

  • @ellerose7854
    @ellerose7854 5 місяців тому +9

    This is stylistically very reminiscent to the works of Celia Condit ("Possibly In Michigan"). And like a lot of her works, it's also really cathartic despite (or maybe because of) the sense of unease.
    Being deeply depressed and suicidal for almost a decade has turned a lot of ostensibly opposite feelings into basically the same thing. I'm indifferent to most things, I feel frozen and stagnant and empty. This piece perfectly reflects how that feels. The expressions of "happiness" looking grotesquely exaggerated to the point of fear, like a disguised cry for help, hit pretty close to home. Wasn't expecting to cry from a homework assignment/project from 21 years ago today. Thank you for sharing this Brian/Katya

  • @haynesefield
    @haynesefield Рік тому +93

    The last seconds were more unsettling and terrifying than 90% of last decade thrillers. You did a great job!

  • @kevinandorsusie
    @kevinandorsusie Рік тому +37

    I'm no art critic, but I honestly think this is the perfect time to post this, cause it's surreal in a way that I think people who enjoy analog horror type stuff will appreciate. Maybe it's a weird thing to say, but I love the complete silence. It adds to the tone and holds my attention really well.

  • @colbyjackcheesestick
    @colbyjackcheesestick Рік тому +161

    i have been waiting to see these experimental films for so many years, love it

  • @sophiamedinamusic
    @sophiamedinamusic Рік тому +27

    this is it, mama. Let your art shine.

  • @merrymac5460
    @merrymac5460 Рік тому +86

    Ah, the dichotomy. Although the film was silent, I could hear the angst-ridden screams of the soul. So jarring. But then, there would be moments when one would notice that the vignettes were not motionless photos that captured a split second of time but were flawlessly held stills in "real time". Little things like the dripping of the toothpaste gave it away.
    Katya, I adore your dark and zany humour and how you fully commit to whatever action you take. More please! ❤❤❤

    • @Capnbritish
      @Capnbritish Рік тому +1

      i liked when katya was on the bench upside down it was p. funney

  • @jc-qd3nc
    @jc-qd3nc Рік тому +32

    I felt this in my bones

    • @oldvlognewtricks
      @oldvlognewtricks Рік тому

      I was almost braced for a jump scare by the end

    • @hermeticmoth
      @hermeticmoth Рік тому +5

      But are the bones sticking out? 🔮

    • @shawnbay2211
      @shawnbay2211 Рік тому

      @@hermeticmoth mama, that’s a fracture 😨

  • @danielwaynemiller
    @danielwaynemiller Рік тому +86

    BALD. FROM. BIRTH. We stan a consistent queen. ALWAYS delivering on the promise to be bald.

  • @10kbees84
    @10kbees84 Рік тому +17

    Lord, I pray that you keep me on Earth long enough to see the day Katya transitions to directing/producing independent feature films

  • @neyseylul
    @neyseylul Рік тому +68

    love the new "old videos"!! I think they help to get katya's art recognized which is often overshadowed by her beauty or "quirkiness".

  • @thaothanh3365
    @thaothanh3365 Рік тому +11

    How could this not be a backroom vibe viral creepypasta video from 2000’s ?

  • @xoxoewer
    @xoxoewer Рік тому +16

    our best filmmaker

  • @montycas
    @montycas Рік тому +51

    As a young person I loved watching student films, I later became a film student, and afterwards kept going to see more student films wherever possible. I really liked this!!! I find that raw 20-year-old sensibility exciting. I’m also so happy to experience Katya two decades later.

    • @kaceyavellone8692
      @kaceyavellone8692 Рік тому +1

      I'm glad there are people like you out there, because I'd rather stick a fork in my eye than watch some overgrown teenagers' amateur films 😂 But I recognize that SOMEONE has to encourage young artists. You're out here taking several for the team. ❤ To me, there is literally nothing worse than hearing: "Hey! I wrote you a [peom/song/short story]." 😂

  • @ellenfrazier4528
    @ellenfrazier4528 Рік тому +15

    not alive or dead but a secret third thing

  • @Trilink2
    @Trilink2 Рік тому +3

    The first student film I've ever sat through, I would've clapped.

  • @jae7798
    @jae7798 Рік тому +21

    truly one of the films of all time by the first woman ✨😍

  • @themanwiththedogs
    @themanwiththedogs Рік тому +8

    Some old youtube energy. They don't make 'em like this anymore. Love you katy

  • @msilveiraarruda
    @msilveiraarruda Рік тому +7

    This made me think about those "I'm not a robot" things where you have to click on which pictures show a horse or something meanwhile a machine learns what it means to think like a human.

    • @rabblerousin8981
      @rabblerousin8981 Рік тому

      Yikes, you f’n nailed it. Catch 22 meets 2001: a space odyssey.
      Aka this video is a social documentary

  • @pembrokelove
    @pembrokelove Рік тому +11

    Ooh. Vintage Katya with no views or comments yet? I'm here for it.

  • @gagaslayonce
    @gagaslayonce Рік тому +13

    So, you’ve always been like this…

  • @rileygmx3404
    @rileygmx3404 Рік тому +14

    Left me feeling, both, understood and confused.
    Can’t wait for the stage performance.

  • @leniigii
    @leniigii Рік тому +16

    This...had me teary eyed. It spoke so profoundly about depression and anxiety without a single word, sound, or music track. One's mind is loud on the inside, yet so silent to everyone else watching. This short film served as a reminder that I'm not the only silent struggler. We see you, hear you, and love you Katya. So talented, even though you doubt yourself often as a true artist tends to do. It's the creativity that helps one channel it all. Looking forward for more, and of course at your own pace. ❤

  • @Cara_girlwithhat
    @Cara_girlwithhat Рік тому +26

    Honestly, I love this. Hope we get to see even more from your video archives.

  • @elminaelmi1919
    @elminaelmi1919 Рік тому +31

    This is soooo good!! It made me feel so uneasy which means the video did it’s job well haha. Also, love taking a peek at Katya’s creative past, so interesting to see.

  • @ravitempelaar3740
    @ravitempelaar3740 Рік тому +15

    I never quite could put my hand on why I always felt so connected to, or why i liked Katya/ Brian so much. After seeing this I understand why. Thank you Brian for sharing yourself with the world the way you do. I’m very happy and honoured to say I’m a fan of yours.

  • @cjwhite18
    @cjwhite18 Рік тому +17

    THIS DESERVES AN EMMY A GRAMMY AN OSCAR AND A NOBEL PEACE PRIZE!!!!

  • @squeakymilichen3183
    @squeakymilichen3183 Рік тому +4

    okay i love this

  • @lewisharwood684
    @lewisharwood684 Рік тому +5

    the last 30 seconds is some ari aster shit, genuinely unnerving, slay!

  • @ThatOneRandomNoun
    @ThatOneRandomNoun Рік тому +4

    All of a sudden, Brian's vampire phase makes total sense, seeing as he looks like Nosferatu here.

  • @TheOnlyElle.
    @TheOnlyElle. Рік тому +10

    A Shrodingers cat type situation..You made it through, Katya.. You're well out of the box 💜🌱

  • @oseano9537
    @oseano9537 Рік тому +28

    This reminds me of the shark by Damien Hirst, looks alive but is dead. It perfectly represents that state of limbo between what you feel and what you are, the sense of separation from yourself and everything around you. Thank you for sharing.

    • @daisywatkins5778
      @daisywatkins5778 Рік тому +4

      My EUPD still puts me into dissociative states....like everything is crisp, in perfect clarity, but it's as if you're stuck between time lines.

  • @aprilfurlong6112
    @aprilfurlong6112 Рік тому +11

    Thank you for capturing how it feels battle depression💖

  • @savannahsmith4185
    @savannahsmith4185 Рік тому +11

    I’m not sure how you nailed how I’ve always felt. This is incredible 🖤

  • @justlookin00
    @justlookin00 Рік тому +12

    Senior project?
    What kind of devil witchcraftery has transported us to a baby-Brian-buffoonery video?!?
    Loved it 😮

  • @ryanhoulihan
    @ryanhoulihan Рік тому +4

    Thank you for these gifts, strange lady

  • @frenchtrace9862
    @frenchtrace9862 4 місяці тому +1

    These are makin me really miss being in art school in the 2000s. What a time.

  • @angelsnaiilz
    @angelsnaiilz Рік тому

    i am so glad we’re getting to see these. they’re so up my alley, i love this sort of thing.

  • @fernfernisfernie
    @fernfernisfernie Рік тому +3

    You've always been brilliant. I love and appreciate you so much.

  • @savannahmcgraw9973
    @savannahmcgraw9973 Рік тому +1

    I needed this today, and will need it every day for the rest of forever. Thank you 🌟

  • @Kwa_OwenZ
    @Kwa_OwenZ 9 місяців тому

    I appreciate this video. I sat here for the entire duration; hooked.

  • @SleeplessEremite
    @SleeplessEremite Рік тому +10

    these are so thought provoking
    thank you for sharing, can’t wait to see more

  • @selenatheedoll
    @selenatheedoll Рік тому +2

    Thank you for sharing these, it's so cool getting a glimpse of your past.

  • @kiratheelf772
    @kiratheelf772 Рік тому +1

    this is the sort of video that will circle around the internet in several years, context unknown.
    i quite like it.

  • @megczaban6814
    @megczaban6814 Рік тому +3

    It gives analog horror! I actually really love this

  • @dont._.ask.
    @dont._.ask. Рік тому +5

    why did i just get so emotionally invested in this guys life, we need more 😂

  • @888.veronicaa
    @888.veronicaa Рік тому +3

    this is a cinematic masterpiece. you said a lot with no words.

  • @Lilybee_o
    @Lilybee_o 7 місяців тому

    I absolutely love it when people tune into their creative side. I loved this. Thank you for sharing this with us.

  • @jakobervorhood
    @jakobervorhood Рік тому +1

    I love you sharing your early video work with us. It’s fascinating to have a look into the mind of younger Brian. This was very interesting, yet it made me slightly uneasy.

  • @ksplatypus
    @ksplatypus Рік тому +8

    This is amazing, Katya, and it really inspires me as a performer and artist to see that you started out doing something like the stuff I'm doing now. And now you've made a life out of your art! I hope you take pride in that every day and I'm glad you're giving us the opportunity to celebrate the work you created before and outside of Katya

  • @katakombi7229
    @katakombi7229 Рік тому

    this perfectly encapsulates the past year for me. Bravo!

  • @veronicapichardo332
    @veronicapichardo332 Рік тому

    Yess i wanna see more of your old videos , there's always someone out there that can appreciate it the realness of it all , someone like me

  • @werewoIf
    @werewoIf Рік тому +2

    I never thought I would again feel the feeling of it being like 2008 and you find someone's youtube channel full of art school assignments and you just get a read on their psyche

  • @sarakatelyn8923
    @sarakatelyn8923 7 місяців тому +1

    This is so, so good. The reverb of the old camera really sells it

  • @Laura795100
    @Laura795100 Рік тому

    Can't wait to see more!

  • @yummy_yummy7224
    @yummy_yummy7224 10 місяців тому

    Omg it’s really a masterpiece of self-expression! And no sound creates so much pressure…. I am amazed!

  • @oliviac6539
    @oliviac6539 Рік тому +1

    Thank you for this-intro to video never looked so good

  • @vitoriamoni7792
    @vitoriamoni7792 Рік тому +1

    It’s giving trainspotting i love it

  • @amandaleemosey9629
    @amandaleemosey9629 Рік тому +1

    What impresses me the most about this is your ability to keep a straight face and not burst out laughing which doesn't seem to take much these days.... I love your laugh it's literally infectious! 😍

  • @stephaniedowling6259
    @stephaniedowling6259 Рік тому +1

    I’m obsessed with this because I know how much you love David Lynch, and this screams Eraserhead to me.
    Also gives 90s experimental tease, thanks Kayta!!

  • @dingleberryftm7918
    @dingleberryftm7918 Рік тому

    Omg this is amazing! Thank you so much for posting

  • @saramulry
    @saramulry Рік тому

    Excellent use of quiet, stillness and space. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

  • @romancandleofthewild
    @romancandleofthewild Рік тому +3

    This is the art that I needed today.

  • @Nick-pl8st
    @Nick-pl8st Рік тому

    Out here asking the real questions since 2002. A true queen

  • @p1nkeye01
    @p1nkeye01 8 місяців тому

    This is so brilliant and cool!! I was hooked the whole time and there wasn't a word spoken! Brilliant

  • @katyasfav
    @katyasfav Рік тому +3

    thanks for this katya

  • @JacCichockiOfficial
    @JacCichockiOfficial Рік тому

    I am in love with this. Thank you.

  • @bethcushway458
    @bethcushway458 Рік тому

    Absolute work of genius!!!!

  • @mamatiazi
    @mamatiazi Рік тому +1

    This is gold! Thank you for sharing! I love your mind, so funny and sad, so complex, really love it

  • @LMYT95
    @LMYT95 Рік тому

    Thank you for posting this, I like it a lot.

  • @carmensmithaguirre3049
    @carmensmithaguirre3049 Рік тому +1

    Wow this is actually really profound. Never quite found something that put into words exactly how I feel a lot of the time until now.

  • @nataliewantscookies
    @nataliewantscookies Рік тому

    You’re amazing Katya, seriously!!!!!

  • @monikagoldberg2006
    @monikagoldberg2006 Рік тому +1

    This is a great piece of art! Thanks for sharing!

  • @antipatsy
    @antipatsy Рік тому +3

    There is no limit to how much I love this.

  • @jonidinamita
    @jonidinamita Рік тому

    Love love love this ❤

  • @Slapsista
    @Slapsista Рік тому

    Love. A great reminder to just make stuff, that the creative play can continue throughout life. A great reminder for me to just make stuff, whatever is happening or not in terms of creative 'career'. Also, impressive stillness.

  • @joancomics
    @joancomics 11 місяців тому

    I absolutely love this.

  • @jessica-zd4gi
    @jessica-zd4gi Рік тому

    this truly speaks to me deeply.

  • @solidsliquidsandgasps6742
    @solidsliquidsandgasps6742 Рік тому

    Thank you for sharing what I believe is a fundamental piece of your history.

  • @ozzje
    @ozzje Рік тому +2

    living for these ohmygod

  • @sana_fanboi
    @sana_fanboi Рік тому +1

    this was genuinely incredible wow

  • @alexzamo
    @alexzamo Рік тому +1

    I love these mother