Hirshhorn's The Cinema Effect

My Hirshhorn experience began with a film by the name of “This I Played Tomorrow” by Christian Jankowski.  Despite the fact that this piece was shot at the famed Italian film studio Cinecitta, I found that there was little to this particular film. I am all for abstract cinema but I thought that Jankowski’s vision was lacking.  Even if there was a solid idea behind “This I Played Tomorrow,” the final product came out rather dull. Perhaps it was the similarity in last names, but as I watched this film I thought about director Alejandro Jodorowsky, who was behind such trippy cult classics as “The Holy Mountain” and “El Topo.”  While both Jankowski and Jodorowsky’s plots may become a bit scattered at times there is one large difference. I was in no way drawn in by Jankowski’s cinematography.  His palette consisted of many tans and grays which, when combined with lack of lighting, made the whole film seem a bit dry. I also thought many of the shots, for example the final dolly or possibly handheld shot, which led to cast and crew celebrating together, could have been more thoughtful. This goes for many other scenes.

The second video I saw was entitled “John,” by Ian Charlesworth. I truly enjoyed this piece.  The shoot was done entirely on a dark stage with a stationary camera, and a single spotlight on John. This was done because John, a Northern Irish teen, was meant to be the focus of the video. Charlesworth did this because he did not want his audience (or himself considering this was an audition) distracted by any sort scenery or the visual presence of other characters. Upon watching this piece, I was hit by scenario after scenario of raw emotion from a young actor simply being himself. These frightening real life situations presented by the director force the viewer to imagine the terrifying struggles of the young man, despite how unfamiliar John’s life may be.

The next film caught my interest immediately simply because of the way it was presented. In Mungo Thomson’s “New York, New York, New York, New York,” four huge screens covered the walls of room forcing the viewer to stand in the middle and try to take it all in.  Bright city images flashed all around me making it impossible to focus on any one thing. This made for a rather realistic view of New York, fast moving and chaotic. However we eventually find out that these seemingly real images of “New York City” are nothing more than a set. Or so the film synopsis says.

The next film, “Lonely Planet,” by Julian Rosefeldt really caught my attention because of the sensation achieved my looping the film. Rosefeldt also portrayed an image of a mysterious traveler passing through an almost surreal India by using an energetic array of colors with vibrant contrast. One scene that stood out was a dolly shot which followed the lone traveler through a sea of cubicles. The cubicles were set in such a way that their white, blue and yellow walls created an exquisite visual, which the audience could not ignore. Rosefeldt’s focus on the faces and everyday interactions of the Indian people also created a sense of real life cultural immersion.  “Lonely Planet” also included a rather swell dance number.

My favorite piece, by far, was Candice Breitz’s “Mother + Father.” She uses 6 screens with isolated clips of recognizable actors and actresses (on black) touching on such issues as parenthood, marriage and sometimes even joy, Bruits has created an emotional and extremely creative piece of art. The actors appear to converse and interact with one another while all working to capture the same mood and issue. This is all made possible by a large amount of careful editing which, with the use of meticulous timing and repetition (audio and visual), make for a rather chaotic symphony for the senses. However, the experience would become rhythmic at times which was equally as effective. Lastly, the separation of the mother and father exhibits made the viewer feel as if he or she had heard two different sides to the same story.

I did not enjoy “Living a Beautiful Life,” by Corinna Schnitt. The melodramatic acting and over lit digital video made me feel as if I were watching an infomercial…the idea was nice, however, once pieced together the message was lost in the form of a rather dull video project. The rule of thirds was also completely ignored.

I had a similar view of Kerry Tribe’s “Double,” it would appear that in an effort to create a truly unique, “deep” and interesting piece, Tribe created a video lacking in substance. Ms.Tribe chose to show her actors partaking in everyday activities, which would prove to be as entertaining as it sounds.  Here we see another example of ineffective shots and disjointed images coming together in the form of a rough digital video.