Most times the intention of an artist is unclear in the finished product. The intentions we start with change and take shape as the work progresses. The beautiful thing about art is that during its production it takes on a life of its own. At least I have found this to be true of my art. All I can strive to do is to create something that will be meaningful and provoke thought in others. I have no way of knowing whether these thoughts will reflect my initial intentions, but I can be sure that my intention is to always be honest.
I believe there is always something new to learn and there will always be unique stories to be told, film is the perfect outlet for this need of mine. The honesty of the medium is what appeals to me immediately. When the shutter opens and closes, imprinting time and space on a little strip of film, I express myself better than ever and with vivid reality. There in nothing the can fully encapsulate nuances of life quite like film.
In his writings, Dziga Vertov argued for presenting "life as it is" and "life caught unawares" which tend to be the most interesting moments in life and in film. There is nothing more beautiful than capturing the candor of real life. When embarking on any filmic endeavor I never know what the end result will be, or what I will gain from the experience. However, right from the start I know that my goal is the truth. I feel through film I can create openings into different experiences of thinking and feeling. I aim to create tension between images and narrative, sound and space. My expectation of my own work would be to provoke different ways of thinking about normality’s of the human experience.
I try to aim for making something both universally and individually relevant. If I can create something that speaks to someone, even if it is just one person, then I have made a new connection. This connection never would have existed without that specific work of art. Reaching out to an audience, offering a unique insight opens new portals and creates new ways of thinking. There is nothing trite about using conventional ways to trigger new experiences.
.Films are just small threads that connect human experiences. Me to my viewers, viewers to subjects and so on. It can help people better understand their own struggles or joys.
And now that I have voiced my own conceited and self-important view I too would like to provide a disclaimer; My artists statement does not necessarily uphold my intentions or claim to provide an understanding of modern art.
Here is a photo I took recently that I thought captured a very honest moment. This man is named Leonard Knight. He built "Salvation Mountain"
3 comments:
That is such an interesting way to look at art. I have never thought of the production as having a “life of its own” but it is so true, no matter what your art is. And in the end, people don’t know what you’re trying to say. But I think that is the best kind of art. People are meant to interpret and to contemplate what they see. If someone tells you how to think and feel, it no longer matters anymore. Even in screenwriting, where the art is about people, we are chastised if we are too “on the nose.” Despite how much we all complain about wanting things to be easier, half the fun is trying to figure out what is going on. I think it is interesting that your goal is truth for your art. And the picture you provide is a testament to your ideals. I do not think your take is necessarily a tribute to modern art, at all. Personally, I feel that truth is what most arts should and do strive for. Or at least their version of the truth. A lot of the time in my work, I like to write about ordinary people and their adventures. But I also like to write about how good things happen to good people and bad people are always punished in the end, which is not how it is in real life. So I suppose my writing does not tell the truth. It just tells my truths.
I love the phrase 'life caught unawares". Having spent 4 years doing regular art critques, so many people comment on my art and how it does so much more than what I thought it would do. Often art does so much more than what is intended.
I appreciate your attitude towards art - an attemt to reaching out in an honest way, an attempt to connect human experience together.
and last but not least, I love that picture : ) of Leonard Knight.
Without knowing his name or having seen his work, I know I love the artist you quote. His statement: "The work points to but does not claim to provide an understanding of his intentions or meaning" is brilliant, and you do a really good job of unpacking it. Yes, the statement is potentially pretentious, but in there is an important question that is not posed enough: who is it that decides what is meaningful and what is not? As human beings we go through life making decisions, and sometimes we cannot understand why we make the decisions that we do. Just as we can be surprised or confused by our own intentions in everyday life, I think an artist should ultimately be surprised by their intentions, not defined by them.
I think your approach to art is really the way to go! Overthinking and trying hard to produce meaning is more often than not detrimental to the finished product. There is something beautiful in spontaneity, in lining up all the cards, and then throwing them to the wind. I love your artist's statement! It so encapsulates the beauty and simplicity of your art and also your approach to life, especially in its modest ending.
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