Working on new artist film projects

With the Tokyo Omotesando show coming up, I’ve been working with several parallel visual and sound ideas, one strand is the abstract film stuff which has been fun and absorbing and which I hope to exhibit alongside the drawings – after eventually pulling Traces together, which seemed to take months, I have been working on Grey Torn Alloy quite quickly (short clip below) and also have just started a movement/time themed short film as well, so will see where that leads in the next few days…

City Journeys

I always enjoy walking , looking out for visual urban experience and contrasts, and these are some shots from recent short walks. This derelict slightly monstrous old UK shopping building is quite interesting, with its quirky and ironic old signage ‘Talisman’, ‘Costcutter’, ‘Jade House’… lots of good textures to re-look at too.

Spirit and visual freedom in Jean Vigo’s ‘L’Atalante’

L’Atalante

A few days ago, on the Midnight Film Festival website, which is connected to Kineattic – a Japanese organisation dedicated to promoting independent cinema – I watched the classic french film ‘L’Atalante’ from 1934 by Jean Vigo. He created only four movies before his death at the young age of 29. But this is a real cracker, a cinematic masterpiece way ahead of its time.

I didn’t quite get the gist of all the lingo as it was streamed in French with Japanese subtitles but it really didn’t matter, being more focused on real film making without too much dialogue, and visual editing that speaks for itself. The cast of Dita Parlo, Jean Dasté, and the fabulously entertaining Michel Simon as the cat loving, bad mannered first mate, his young assistant, very many cats, and the ship L’Atalante herself, all communicate and interact beyond the need for much dialogue. The plot is an ordinary love story of the type standard in Hollywood, yet the emotional depth, sharp and experimental editing, performances and the repeated, dense scenes of landscape, dock, river and city all imbue the film with the rich, warm texture of the ups and downs of life and environment. No decoration or pretentious grandeur on this post marriage working barge journey, nor any critique on divisions in society or politics, but just real human cinema.

The film flows from start to finish, with quite arty editing that would have been unique at the time (and the content was seen as being too much then too, subsequently having been cut severely by the distributor Gaumont). There are some really humorous moments, such as Michel Simon wrestling, and ‘playing’ his record. I think Simon as Père Jules is almost as funny as Boudu in Jean Renoir’s ‘Boudu Saved From Drowning’. The final shot encourages that sense of life being free if we are able to live it that way, naturally I guess, and is a contrast from previous shots. The disjointed style with some long shots such as the bride and groom street take at the start, is very interesting and works well – plus it seems to have influenced many directors from the French New Wave to Kaurismaki.

Midnight Film Festival will be showing this public domain film again online on the 24th and 31st August, at 4pm GMT (through Ustream). They have some Hitchcock coming up next month too.

Watch live on the Midnight Film Festival website

Working on the coast, South Uist

It was great to be out around the quiet lands, lochs and coasts of the Outer Hebrides, there was a lot to get into photography wise and with drawing and markmaking. There was a good spell of weather, with a lull in the usual westerly winds and salty spray, which was ideal for spending time working around the piles of seaweed, Atlantic Ocean eroded rocks and pools at low tide. Plus some time for Chi Kung on the beach. And for being double frazzled in the sun.

Some films by Peter Greenaway

The Draughtsman’s Contract

After watching his most famous movie a good while ago ‘The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover’ (1989) I was interested to see what his other films were like, having been inspired by the painterly suffused lighting and grotesquely captivating situations and relationships. First I watched his early film from 1982 ‘The Draughtsman’s Contract’ set in 1694 which depicts the fall of a rising English artist famed for his architectural drawings. Mr. Neville’s contract for twelve drawings of a country estate in return for money and his pleasure leads to all sorts of events as an intriguing form of murder mystery ensues, deepened by the content of his perfectly executed drawings aligned with the baroque oil paintings of the country house itself. His energetic over confidence and sardonic wit, with his lower background, is at odds with his upper class clients… and the film indeed oozes a critique of capitalism set at the time the Bank of England was formed.

The way Greenaway visually tackles the setting, the landscaped gardens and wonderfully over the top costumes are really striking – particularly for me, the bold and classical use of perspective shooting into the vanishing point with several varied compositions – no special effects needed here – such as close ups of easel and drawing tools. The visuals tie in perfectly with the strong period influenced score of Michael Nyman. A very enjoyable film without being too commercial, great acting from the cast, and good to see Hugh Fraser (Captain Hastings in Poirot) as Mr. Talmann.

‘The Belly of an Architect’ (1987) was next and didn’t disappoint although it was maybe a bit long – but well worth watching for the intense portrayal by Brian Dennehy of architect Kracklite’s obsession with 18th C architect Boullee as he sets up an exhibition of his work in Rome, yet becomes plagued by paranoia, thinking his wife is poisoning him. This leads to a fascination with his belly, which he duly gets to a photocopying – memorable flashes of unnatural greens from the machine here. Greenaway finds numerous exploratory ways to visually and artistically stimulate the audience, using strong sets and lighting in a way that he would build upon in ‘The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover’.

The Belly of an Architect

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

Climbing Goat Fell and into the Western hills of Arran


roast chicken and arran brie still sea signpost east route supply structures winding ascent moving quickly fresh burn water not a soul or bird in sight through the rockline getting tired need food goat fell summit sudden wind and jagged torn rock vista food stop lying low following companions wild goat and animal howls no wind again galloping descent wild flowers and distant bright shores gradually cool no sun dark greens merging into purple blues

new day resting at pirnmill slowly up along the allt gobhlach burn twisted small old forest steep gorge thick ferns and waterfalls soft grasses soft breeze midges choking on a cherry scone bogged down stone-bog-heather-slope beinn bharrain warm grey chaotic rock and heather patterns looming hill cloud and soft rain