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Notes to Self

A friend recently reminded me that he comes to my blog and that I no longer explain my work here.
There is a reason for that. The reason is that I got tired of explaining my work.

However, I put the work in the public forum that is the internet, for a reason. And, I do have people that come here to check out what I am doing and, like my friend, they may feel a little confused, so I'll make an effort to start talking about art here again.

Right now I am considering how to develop the walkabout project. Thus far, the project consists of a mostly private practice and passive sort of distribution. I wanted to have a documentary project grow organically out of a simple action which I perform everyday, an action which is not unique or special in any way.

This is what I have learned about it so far:

It is sub-conscious and meditative.
It has to do with timing both natural rhythms and imposed patterns.
It is time travel.
It is figure ground relationships.
This is not so surprising because all are themes I have explored in other projects.

The project includes 2 types of moving images:

1) Nodes, hubs, scenes, events - In which, objects and people move through the frame horizontally and on occasion vertically. I/camera stand still for a minimum of 60 seconds to allow passage of bodies through the frame. I am observing the scene as these bodies are making exits and entrances. I am in stasis, rest state.

2)Passages, paths, scene changes  - In which figure/camera moves over ground. I am in constant motion for 60 seconds or more to. My feet move the ground beneath me, physically pushing it behind me and  into the past  and simultaneously moving my own body into the future, into the next frame, node, scene.

Possible ideas for further development:

Incorporate video clips from other contributors or existing media sources, but not sure yet how.
It must maintain the level of fluidity and lack of overt messaging - or must it?
Consider what is catalyst for change from stasis (of a node video) to movement (of a pathway video).
What might connect the two?

What should pop up in my feeds this morning but an interview (link) with prolific writer Will Self , talking about his own walkabout experiences.

That's all I got for now.

Inspire and be inspired

"In the times of bigness, spectaculars, one hundred million movie productions, I want to speak for the small, invisible acts of human spirit, so subtle, so small, that they die when brought out under the clean lights. I want to celebrate the small forms of cinema, the lyrical form, the poem, the watercolor, etude, sketch, portrait, arabesque, and bagatelle, and little 8mm songs. In the times when everybody wants to succeed and sell, I want to celebrate those who embrace social and daily tailor to pursue the invisible, the personal things that bring no money and no bread and make no contemporary history, art history or any other history. I am for art which we do for each other, as friends."

click to read entire Anti-100 years of cinema manifesto by Jonas Mekas