French filmmaker Cyprian Gaillard collaborated with composer and former opera singer Koudlam to make Desniansky Raion (currently showing at the New Museum in their exhibit, Younger than Jesus)
The video above shows one of three parts of the film:
“The first section of the video shows a pitched battle between two hooligan gangs on the parking lot of a housing project in the suburbs of Saint Petersburg, filmed from a neighbouring building. Blues against reds, some wearing white gloves, the two compact groups move forward in an organized manner, then dismantle under shock before regrouping for a new assault. Calling to mind a battle scene in a medieval fresco or a classical painting, the outburst of violence, both savage and codified, is as repulsive as fascinating” (source)
I’ve never been in the middle of any sort of battle or fight but I can imagine, in some way, a sort of strange intoxication surrounding the scene - the rushing of bodies, of blood, thoughts…..
It reminds me of a quote by Elias Cannetti from the book Crowds and Power:
“There is nothing that man fears more than the touch of the unknown…It is only in a crowd that man can become free of this fear of being touched. That is the only situation in which the fear changes into its opposite….Suddenly it is as though everything were happening in one and the same body…..the feeling of relief is most striking where the density of the crowd is greatest.”
Right now I want to walk through a crowded New York City street. Stand one in fifty aboard some packed subway car, catch a strangers eye. Brush up against others. Be pushed gently.
There is a movie I can only vaguely remember seeing when I was a little kid, but images from it have stayed with me to this day (sometimes I wonder if it were instead a dream - which is more likely as I’ve yet to track down the movie)
What I remember of it is pretty hazy…..but the color red sunk into everything. A bright red stain covering the entire earth. It was beautiful.
Nothing I’ve seen or found has reminded me more of this dream/movie than these photographs by the German artist Florian Maier-Aichen. I found them online this morning and felt this strange bit of recognition - like passing a stranger on the street, only to have their face gnaw at you for the rest of the day. I know you.
The oddest things can feel so familiar sometimes. This dream/movie - whatever it was - somehow, definitely became apart of me. When I close my eyes and picture walking around its landscape I hear amazing sounds like this:
This song is by local Hudson musician Alexander Turnquist. Alexander recently sent me a link to “The Silent Ballet Volume II” which includes his track ‘We Are Magnets‘ (they also use his photography for the albums’ artwork)
It is a great album (and free download!). As I type this it is playing in the gallery (one of my other favorite tracks off the album is #5 - ‘Watching it Unfold‘ by Australian musician Lawrence English. Wonderful, wonderful stuff.)
Anyway, it is beautiful out in Hudson today. I hope it is where you are too….
A big thank you to Glenn for scoring last minute tickets to Dan’s sold out concert at the Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday night - it was amazing. I miss seeing intimate shows like this one, and it was just the type of thing I needed to hear. Powerful blues with an unbelievable amount of passion. I cannot get enough of the lovely lullaby, “When the Night Comes”
I came across a post about passion that I thought was super inspiring, and I could easily relate to it:
“I spent a large chunk of Tuesday in a car with a friend driving up to Manchester. He and I were at the University there in the 80s and we were driving up to spec out a project for later this year. He’s a record exec (of course! which of your so-called friends aren’t? I hear you crow). His job requires him to be constantly in contact with people who work with and for him and so I sat in the passenger listening to his speakerphone conversations: lawyers telling him how he was “their guy” and how and they honestly wanted to sign to him, American executives telling him how genuinely excited about their projects they were , new employees telling him how sincerely they were looking forward to their job… It was a veritable sea of love and sincerity. It reminded of my A&R days and how so much of what got people out of bed depended on passion. It may sound like they’re being insincere but you do really need to tap into some emotion to get through all the pain, rejection and terrible midweeks.“
Working with/for people who spend their entire lives creating something so personal, so extremely intimate and close to their hearts - you find yourself wanting to do nothing more than feed that passion. You become addicted to just being around it. You want to be reminded that you are not half-alive. And in order to be more than half-alive you need to work at it - every single day. You need to make a real effort.
I like being around those who make an effort. Those who show up daily, who are always learning, who own their lives, who try harder, who confess their love, who take action….
“but who can say what’s best? that’s why you need to grab whatever chance you have of happiness where you find it, and not worry about other people too much. my experience tells me that we get no more than two or three such chances in a life time, and if we let them go, we regret it for the rest of our lives.”
-haruki murakami norwegian wood
Things I like
:: :: :: old books dramatic pauses fancy dresses mid 19th c. design photography secret rooms beautiful words video + film mix cds :: :: ::
welcome to a collection of my obsessions
