In 1982, Danish filmmaker Jørgen Leth and pop art trailblazer and fashion icon Andy Warhol worked together to produce a short film. At only four minutes and twenty-seven seconds long, this video belongs to a series of short films called “66 Scenes From America” which aim to describe the American experience. Warhol makes his appearance in a white collared shirt, a dark red tie, and a navy blue, long-sleeved cardigan as he performs eating a hamburger. The audience is face to face with Warhol as he sits at a blank table and slowly unwraps the perfect Burger King packaging in uncomfortable silence. He reaches for the glass Heinz ketchup bottle, flipping upside down to pour. The gravity resistant sauce forces Warhol to shake it aggressively until he’s satisfied. As he dips his hamburger in ketchup, bite by bite, the silence thickens.
As the audience, we are invited to study Warhol as he eats quietly by myself. He chews with his mouth closed, eyes down, with his elbows tucked at his sides, reminiscent of a boy who sits alone at lunch. As he eats, the Warholesque quality of the video becomes clear. The art lies in the need humans have to fill the silence. Discomforting as it is to watch the dialogue-less video, it is hard to look away. Why does he look forced? Why is he dipping the ketchup instead of putting it inside the burger? Why does he not have a drink or fries? The audience is left to ponder. Warhol does not finish eating the excess bun and instead gathers the garbage into the bag, crumpling it. Sitting with his hands folded on the table, he looks around with wide eyes, the silent intimacy unsettling. Finally, at four minutes and fifteen seconds, he speaks, breaking the unbearable nothingness. “Uh my name is Andy Warhol and uh I just finished eating uh a hamburger”. The video ends abruptly after a robot voice says “Burger, New York”.
Throughout his life Warhol collaborated with many artists and professionals. Among his partnerships are artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Francesco Clemente, and Keith Haring, to name a few. If you would like to watch Warhol’s video as directed by Leth, click here.