I must say I count it a priviledge to have such a great artist as Sharon Lockhart come to UWM. I previously viewed her work "Goshogaoka" spring 2006 and enjoyed it, but found I enjoyed it more after meeting the artist and hearing more background to the work.
Artists tend to come across as weird, crazy, in their own world, etc a good portion of the timel-it's what makes us creative right!-but I found Lockhart to be very "normal"; personable, open, sincere, humble. I found that very refreshing and inspiring.
Goshogaoka is another work that is a exercise in seeing. The stationary camera with a fixed focal length creates the frame and we are to do the work of seeing. Things come close to the camera at times, other times the viewer has the freedom to choose where to look in the frame as many things are happening on the gym floor at once.
Realizing the level of artistry and artifice makes it even more enjoyable for me as I know that this is staged and has been planned with a purpose. The colors, patterns, movements all are purposefully placed for a specific aesthetic.
To see the level of trust the girls in the team and their families have placed in Lockhart is apparent; the girls appear open and willing even if they are quite shy by nature. I can't imagine what I'd do if a film maker showed up to one of my activities and decided to make a film about it (assuming that the rehearsals and filming took place outside of regular practice so as not to detract from their training). Americans tend to be more "look at me" and willing to be on camera if it means a minute of fame, but these girls from Japan may have thought entirely differently about the matter.
The 10 minute segments were good to gauge when the next event would start. It was like acts in a play, and Lockhart may have even mentioned that at one point. The ending of her piece seemed a little slower than the beginning segments, but that may have been a cultural difference in that the slow pacing and massage are meditative events and I simply want to go, go, go.
I am grateful to have had this opportunity to see Lockhart's work again with the artist in person to introduce it.
Artists tend to come across as weird, crazy, in their own world, etc a good portion of the timel-it's what makes us creative right!-but I found Lockhart to be very "normal"; personable, open, sincere, humble. I found that very refreshing and inspiring.
Goshogaoka is another work that is a exercise in seeing. The stationary camera with a fixed focal length creates the frame and we are to do the work of seeing. Things come close to the camera at times, other times the viewer has the freedom to choose where to look in the frame as many things are happening on the gym floor at once.
Realizing the level of artistry and artifice makes it even more enjoyable for me as I know that this is staged and has been planned with a purpose. The colors, patterns, movements all are purposefully placed for a specific aesthetic.
To see the level of trust the girls in the team and their families have placed in Lockhart is apparent; the girls appear open and willing even if they are quite shy by nature. I can't imagine what I'd do if a film maker showed up to one of my activities and decided to make a film about it (assuming that the rehearsals and filming took place outside of regular practice so as not to detract from their training). Americans tend to be more "look at me" and willing to be on camera if it means a minute of fame, but these girls from Japan may have thought entirely differently about the matter.
The 10 minute segments were good to gauge when the next event would start. It was like acts in a play, and Lockhart may have even mentioned that at one point. The ending of her piece seemed a little slower than the beginning segments, but that may have been a cultural difference in that the slow pacing and massage are meditative events and I simply want to go, go, go.
I am grateful to have had this opportunity to see Lockhart's work again with the artist in person to introduce it.
1 comment:
I always watched kids perform for cameras, because of skateboarding, and understand the "Look at me" comment. But people just dont understand making an artistic movie the same way as filming skateboarding. People question art way to much.
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