koyaanisqatsi
So, yesterday in class, our professor, Scott Sandage, made us watch this movie:
In case you missed this early 80's hit, or you were too stoned to realize what you were watching, the film is a narrative of images set to Philip Glass music. The images progress from pictures of the natural world to those of indistrialization and city life. A summary:
Sandage proceeded to observe our indignant expressions at this plot-less waste of time, to later make the point that we are all part of the "here we are now, entertain us" generation. Because we expect everything to be clear, concise and heavy on sensory stimulation, we cannot tolerate nor appreciate anything that requires time and patience to make a point.
Now, this was an irritating movie at 10:30 am in a darkened classroom in a schooldesk. But Sandage's response was also quite irritating.
I don't care if there's some greater meaning, some profound revelation or cryptic truth to a work of art; if it doesn't come across, it doesn't matter. Art is not just about making a point, it is about aesthetics. And this film is aesthetically painful. It is overwrought and redundant. The overriding theme- that industrialization has detracted from our connection with the natural world- is so overstated that it buries any of the film's other thematic subtleties. And, to make it worse, the point was wreaked of judgement directed at the viewers, which is a poor attempt at making an enjoyable film.
AND, yes, maybe our aesthetic preferences have changed from the last generation, but that's true of every generation because it's a product of the larger culture we grow up in. (e.g. from tin pan alley to rock n' roll...) More is expected of our time, and so yes, we want it louder and faster, and don't waste our time with cryptic bullshit. That's no surprise given our high speed culture.Our society won't tolerate a slower pace from us, so it's not all one sided.
Those artists that can break that mentality are the succesful and enduring ones. To show a badly-made example of that idea, and then to say it is our fault that we can't appreciate it, makes for a thin argument. Don't just show me something. Show me the beauty in it. That's art.
In case you missed this early 80's hit, or you were too stoned to realize what you were watching, the film is a narrative of images set to Philip Glass music. The images progress from pictures of the natural world to those of indistrialization and city life. A summary:
Sandage proceeded to observe our indignant expressions at this plot-less waste of time, to later make the point that we are all part of the "here we are now, entertain us" generation. Because we expect everything to be clear, concise and heavy on sensory stimulation, we cannot tolerate nor appreciate anything that requires time and patience to make a point.
Now, this was an irritating movie at 10:30 am in a darkened classroom in a schooldesk. But Sandage's response was also quite irritating.
I don't care if there's some greater meaning, some profound revelation or cryptic truth to a work of art; if it doesn't come across, it doesn't matter. Art is not just about making a point, it is about aesthetics. And this film is aesthetically painful. It is overwrought and redundant. The overriding theme- that industrialization has detracted from our connection with the natural world- is so overstated that it buries any of the film's other thematic subtleties. And, to make it worse, the point was wreaked of judgement directed at the viewers, which is a poor attempt at making an enjoyable film.
AND, yes, maybe our aesthetic preferences have changed from the last generation, but that's true of every generation because it's a product of the larger culture we grow up in. (e.g. from tin pan alley to rock n' roll...) More is expected of our time, and so yes, we want it louder and faster, and don't waste our time with cryptic bullshit. That's no surprise given our high speed culture.Our society won't tolerate a slower pace from us, so it's not all one sided.
Those artists that can break that mentality are the succesful and enduring ones. To show a badly-made example of that idea, and then to say it is our fault that we can't appreciate it, makes for a thin argument. Don't just show me something. Show me the beauty in it. That's art.
posted by Joyce Mishaan at 9:48 AM
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