The Cuckoo, In Pictures

{All images via flickr and VisitSweden}

The Cuckoo

I was fascinated by the representation of the Sami people & lifestyle in The Cuckoo as I had never seen or heard much about the indigenous people of Scandinavia. While I enjoyed the film overall, all the things that inspired me were to do with the Sami. The yurt/cabin construction that Anni lived in as well as the reindeer and fish pens she kept were such a different representation of life in the Soviet Union. I always enjoy being reminded that there are simpler ways of living as we often become so accustomed to our lives that we forget. The other aspect of the film that was intruiging was the bringing back of the dead where Anni rythmically beat a drum and howled into the ear of Veikko to call him back to the world of the living. The sequence also depicts the afterworld as a rocky abyss where a young blond boy tries to lead Veikko further down the terrain. The scene was long and slow yet it created a tension and anticipation that is often missing in high drama depictions of life and death. The otherwordly depiction of the afterlife as well as the shaymanistic rituals of Anni made for an interesting interlude in the film and also showed an important part of Sumi culture.

+ Sofia Jannok - a Sami singer who incorporates traditional folk singing {yoik} into her music
+ Info and slideshow on Sami culture in Sweden
+ Virtual tour through Sampi

Adaptation

I just discovered this exhibition that reminds me of the Magnum one I saw in Barcelona. This looks really interesting and it's exciting to see that these questions are being raised in galleries and museums. Adaptation is taking place at the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle, anyone in the area should check it out:

"This stunning exhibition is the first to examine the use of adaptation in recent video art. Adaptation explores the questions of fidelity and creativity that arise when this practice, common to commercial film, television and other forms of pop culture, appears in contemporary art. The four leading artists gathered here—Arturo Herrera, Guy Ben-Ner, Catherine Sullivan, and Eve Sussman & The Rufus Corporation—draw from a range of source material, from classic literature to e-mail, to create their one-of-a-kind visions." {via Henry Art Gallery}

Click here to see Guy Ben-Ner's full length adaptation of Moby Dick on youtube.

{Image via artnet}

Burnt by the Sun, In Pictures

{all images via flickr}

Burnt by the Sun

The most intriguing aspect of Burnt by the Sun to me was the idyllic country house where the film took place - as a symbol, a metaphor, and as an aesthetic element. Some of the elements that caught my eye were the all wood interiors, lace curtains and glass doors, the china and silver serving wares, and the toys and dolls. The wood sun room and furniture is a reference to the forest which is part of Russia's national identity and also shows a connection to nature. It is furthermore an allusion to the more traditional ways of building, before the concrete constructions of the Soviet era. The curtains and doors of the house were all made of either lace or glass which indicates a degree of transparency yet also obstruction which is a reflection of Mitia's secret yet obvious agenda. The serving ware are used as a symbol throughout the film of wealth but more importantly also represent fragility. Marusia is seen several times trying to drink or eat from the china nervously, either tapping or shaking so that the china clinks. Although she is silent for the majority of the film, in this regard she is making a statement of her discomfort, using the china as a way to channel her emotions. The toys scattered around the house symbolize the way in which the men use and are used as puppets as well as the innocence and naivety of the family.

+ How Burnt by the Sun changed this guy's life
+ Burnt by the Sun on stage in London
+ The Film Companion on Google books

7 Up in the Soviet Union

Inside of watching this movie, my boyfriend and I went to Goldstream Park to explore. We discovered a world of moss covered trees, snow & cedar paths, and rocky trickling streams. I found the smallest pinecones I'd ever seen. We found the biggest fallen tree I'd ever seen. The forest was silent and still and beautiful. I mentioned to my boyfriend's father that I wasn't sure how I would relate all these great things to Russian film. "That's easy," he said. "It's all about realism." Yes, I thought. I suppose it is.

If you are interested in 7 Up, here is some of the 21 Up film. {Thanks to my classmate Glen, for finding that!}

Taxi Blues, In Pictures

{All images via flickr}

Taxi Blues

Taxi Blues was the first film I didn't really like all that much. I can't really explain why but it felt uncomfortable. Everything was grimy, depressing and - for lack of a better descriptor - very "90's". Which I'm sure was the point. But I just really didn't like the aesthetic. One of the things I did like in the film was the collage on Ivan's window. It seemed to immediately tell the viewer a story about Ivan's interests and values through the images of women, cars, etc. We can decipher through this crude artwork that Ivan is not an aesthete or intellectual in the way that Alexi is. The imagery is so overtly masculine yet is done in an almost decoupage style, which is often seen as a more feminine form of decoration. I also thought of the probably unintentional reference to the montage work of early Russian filmmakers such as Sergei Eisenstein. The other aspect of the film that I enjoyed was the scenes of the men going about their daily activities in the apartment, as it was like a sneak peek into the life of a "real" Russian. The outdated apartment and dinner parties where mainly vodka was consumed are similar to my romanticized notion of what life in Moscow would potentially entail.

+ RusFilm review
+ Rolling Stone review
+ Clip of music in film

Magnum - 10 Sequences

While I was in Barcelona last summer I saw a Magnum exhibition at the Contemporary Culture Centre {CCCB} that explored how film inspires photographers. It was interesting to see the cross over between genres and the different dialogs between mediums. The CCCB writes this about the show:

"Ten photographers from Magnum Photos evoke the influence of the cinema on their imaginary. The exhibition has invited photographers representing different generations and trends of documentary photography to each produce an original work, showing how the cinema can infiltrate their way of capturing reality. The resulting pieces, photographs or audiovisual installations, reveal how a filmmaker, a film or a single shot have left an imprint on their imaginary and their body of work. Transition, infiltration and superposition between the two worlds."

Click here to see a pdf of the program.

{Image via CCCB}

Freeze, Die, Come to Life! In Pictures

By searching some of the key words from the inspiration list in my film journal, I found some photos that I felt captured my interpretation of the film. {All images via flickr}

Freeze, Die, Come to Life!

What struck me most about Freeze, Die, Come to Life was the beauty of the Siberian landscape in its severity and starkness and the way it provided a backdrop for the story. Because the landscape was so harsh, the film had to rely on the child actors and the story to make the film "come to life". Aesthetically, Freeze, Die, Come to Life is filmed in a documentary style, giving the story a honest and realistic tone that is unusual for a semi autobiography. Yet at the same time, the use of light and shadows often gives way to a surrealist, almost dreamlike depiction of life such as in the misty forest sequence. Another key stylistic device used was the "framing" of scenes, where there was be a frame within a frame composition - through a window in a train, under a bridge - that hinted at the director's position of looking back on his childhood through a lens or a filter. Often these scenes would take place in the interior of the buildings in which the characters lived in, the communal apartments or the dilapidated buildings in the city that the thugs hide out in. These buildings represent the squalor in which people lived and the normalcy of that life to them. In many ways the home has an importance in Freeze, Die, Come to Life that seems to indicate that no matter how bad life is, home is still home.

+ The Complex Use of Settings in Vitali Kavenski's films
+ New York Times Film Review
+ Michael Talbott and the Wolfkings 'Freeze, Die, Come to Life'

Design by the Book

Design by the Book is a joint video project between Grace Bonney of design*sponge and the New York Public Library dealing with artists and inspiration. I think the main idea of it is to promote the library as a place to find inspiration as so few people are going to the library these days. Five New York artists/designers were chosen to participate and the video traces their projects from conception through to production, using sources found in the library for inspiration. It is so interesting to see how these ideas are translated from old books or maps into contemporary objects. Click here to see the last installment of the series on youtube.

{Images via design*sponge from top to bottom: Julia Rothman's nautical patterns, Mike Perry's zine, Rebecca Kutys' letterpressed prints, Lorena Barrezueta's vases and necklaces, and John Pomp's pendant lighting}

To Russia, With Love

I am continually fascinated with the idea of inspiration - where it comes from, the cross pollination of ideas, what it eventually results in. I find myself often inspired by films as they have the ability to perfectly encapsulate an entirely different world. This is exacerbated when the film has been made in a different culture or language or both - the newer the idea, the more exciting. Often what strikes me most is purely visual or aesthetic but not always. Something in a film might jog in my memory a photo, a piece of furniture or a song. I decided that the best way to record these connections would be through a digital means as it enables me to find and share quickly. The personal filter through which we see films also always interests me so as part of my journal I will include found photographs that help determine out how I see a film's aesthetic or what really appeals to me. This blog will act as a documentation of the creative process and as a visual/interactive journal: recording my inspirations, ideas and connotations from ten Russian films and the final creation of an artwork that incorporates those elements.

{Image of Penguin UK's rerelease of the James Bond novels via noyoudidntask}