Title: MOOC (Massively Oppressive Operational Condition)
Media type: Video with sound
Performer: Mark Amerika
Video and Sound production: Zak Loyd and Ryan Wade Ruehlen
Video post-production: Laura Hyunjhee Kim
Sound post-production: Chad Mossholder
Duration: 13:30
Video Link: MOOC (Massively Oppressive Operational Condition) video

About the work

MOOC is a long-form work of video performance art featuring artist Mark Amerika. In the video, Amerika portrays an unnamed professorial persona who mocks the trendy MOOC online course format.

In this particular course, an Introduction to Digital Art, Amerika’s persona playfully satirizes the contemporary art scene, digital culture, cult branding, selfie-mythology, and the neoliberal systems of higher education. The unusual recombination of Amerika's Brooklynese vocals with a stream of hilarious visual puns and custom-designed soundtrack blur the lines of distinction between video performance art and a new mode of 21st century pedagogical practice.

"Introduction to digital art" on a cartoon chalkboard

MOOC Massively Oppressive Operational Condition on a black background, surrounded by flames and Professor Mark Amerika's face.

Professor Mark Amerika in a cartoon trench coat looking through a magnifying glass."What does it mean to be an artist today?" on a green cartoon chalkboard with a hand holding an iphone with Professor Mark Amerika's face on it."All Meme all the time" on top of a glitched, pixelated image of Mark Amerika's face.Mark Amerika sitting at a computer typing with random letters overlaid on the top of the image.Mark Amerika's face photoshopped over top an image of Bob Ross, painting an upside down pixelated self portrait.