Couple in the Cage: Directed by: Coco Fusco and Paula Heredia 1993 United States Performers: Guillermo Gómez-Peña and Coco Fusco

Pre-Viewing Questions Have you ever seen Native American, Africans, Islanders, etc. dressed in traditional tribal dress? Did you see a show, listen to them talk, and take pictures with them? What do you think you can learn from such cultural presentations? Did you feel at all as if their native culture was being exploited?

Discussion Questions What was your first reaction to seeing two people put in a cage?

How obvious do you think it was that these people were actors? Would you have been fooled?

How did the male and female act and why do you think they chose to act that way for the people watching them? What do you think they were trying to observe?

In what different ways did the visitors to the cage exploit the two “aborigines”? Did you think any of the taped commentary by visitors conveyed racism?

How did music influence the mood of the video? How did the changes in mood throughout the video convey the message of the film? When was the film most humorous or most serious?

How did the filmmakers use of archival footage supplement the documentary “museum” footage? Why do you think they used these old movies?

Do you think that this video criticizes museums as an institution?