The all seeing eye...

This week I have spent time researching more on the French artist Pierre Bismuth...Ive become obsessed!! this has lead me to finding a recording hosted at BFI (2008) here he discusses his work in detail i.e. Postscript, The all seeing eye (seen above) etc. The all seeing eye shows subtraction as a metaphor for a world without communication and relationships (the orginal idea came from a friend of his who had had sex with someone whom she wanted to forget about because it was so bad, Bismuth played on the notion of  erasure, specific details etc). In the film a room is stripped bare, the not immediately apparent visual erasure taking place creates a moment of displacement in the spectator compapable to the feeling experienced when a memory is lost, desite its strengh and against ones

(www.bfi.org.uk/audio/exhibitions/bismuth.aif) will, simply by means of time passing. The All-Seeing Eye interestingly is taken from the Film 'External Sunshine of a Spotless Mind' (Bismuth & Michel Gondry worked collaboratly together on and as a result received an 'Oscar' award) Bismuth decided to take the notion futher by using it as an art piece that involed another collaboration between the two.

(Bismuth describes the work as a theatre set model in which the camera is a rotating apparatus working at 360 degrees...people had to come in, ahead of the rotating camera to remove objects...he says the film was full of suspense, because everybody had to be quiet with no room for shadows..) 

He speaks further of Gondry and his use of appyling the camera as another way of looking at reality...accident/inccident...'how' could it be used in practice. I thought this could work in terms of filming my reflective practice, that is, hesitation, pause, typing thoughts and erasing them and so on and so on... 

Interestingly he talks consistly of 'perception' and how subtraction is a link to a private relationship , that is 'see and don't see'. I guess it is the same as i sit here typing im in control of what I want to see, something that the spectator will not be envolved with unless I show it..maybe?Bismuth discussing that he uses films because they are readily available, a ready made object..brings attention to the public He considers the link between his music and cinema...the unfolding, (listening to it) the duration (important elements)

Relates to Warhol in that he is not interested in editing..prefers the duration and the idea of 'ready-mades'. How we put meaning on something. How do we percieve, consider the direct relationship between you and the world.

talks about Hitchcock 'Vertigo' considers end of film shown at beginning...and then subsequently the journey leading up to event..Im thinking here about Columbo...will come back this ?

To think about Postscript..I want to explain that the sound track is given to a secretary (she has not seen the film) she describes the soundtrack and (writes dialogue) it is shown like subtitles. she percieves and selects by creating through something she is describing...her actions she is centre of attention. she is now the artist. Perceiving something is a creative act because you have to make a selection in what you are looking at, remember somethings and not others.

Bismuth talks about John Smiths film 'Girl chewing gum' (1976) a structural film. 12 mins B/W. sound 16mm. 'in the girl chewing gum a commanding voice appears to direct the action in a busy london street. As the instructions become more absurd and fantasised, we realise that the supposed director (not in shot) is fictional. he only describes, not prescribes the events that take place before him. smith embraced the 'spectre of narrative' to play word against picture and chance against order.

Theres some intestering links to what I looked at above, in particular 'perception' has come up again, it occurred to me that I had over looked this when looking over old recording templates, I did not think to look back over journals...back in a minute. Back... Ive just look over some old notes from last year and I did cover perception..even coming up with the notion of perceptual thought...which of course is not new! this is what I wrote at that time.. 19.6.2011

The particpant interprets ideas communicated by the storyteller. The participant uses his/her imagination, memory or intuition in cognition to form new meaning and understanding. I think this is perceptual thought? Where the participant brings the illusionary world into existence in order to be able to look at own experience, make connections and reason?? 

I also thought this was interesting to refer back to, in particular the playing out of ideas.(ref to gardemar)

1.Storymaker, i.e. student = becomes story teller by means of communicating to his/her audience their creative process/activity. The creative process/activity is a construct of ideas played out. These constructs of ideas are temporary, because they are performed in the present and will change in time. This is the conceptual part..! 

and this...

The creative process is not thought of in the same as a work of art, that is, a work of art is what it is, it holds its own authenticity, its true meaning intended by its creator. The creative process is the product in which messenger offers an arrangement of parts that seek a whole, it is a product for use that holds no end point except if a solution has been found.   

ok what am I doing with all this, I guess I am trying to build on links...going back to go forward.  I had a supervisory session with SE and EL this week (13.3.2012) good to have Ellies input, interestingly she suggested I look at John Smith...

and then by some coincidence Bismuth makes reference to him?? I think when I speak to SE again I need to ask for guidance..but then I suppose when I write up my evidence in report I hope to confirm some ideas. I still have film to do and IP. the IP I will start this week, will have a look at it anyway and draw up some notes. Im going to finish up by posting up key words...I also sent these to SE and EL. this again needs more depth.

Keywords: spectator, apparatus, performance, creative process, storyteller/source



Keywords