Suitwatcher’s Anonymous (2002-2004)
A view of a swimming pool in a penthouse. Dressed in a dark business suit, the artist walks back and forth by the edge of the pool telephoning and gesticulating. Out of the blue he slips, falls in and nearly drowns. Painterly underwater shots portray Schmidt as he gradually disentangles himself from his suit and tie.
The pent-up energy of exhibitionism and the erotic atmosphere suffusing the images in Suitwatcher’s Anonymous are released at the end of the film when an upholstered office chair is whipped with great libidinous gusto. Before shooting began, Schmidt tracked down photos and home videos on the Internet fetishising suits, ties and gloves. In his film he performs a process of inching ever closer to the role of a fetishist, at the same time exposing himself to scrutiny.