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Post by toramenor on Feb 21, 2015 13:44:43 GMT -5
lol, it's ok - at least I got a tiny insight into Yoko Ono's mind... I honestly had no idea about her as an artist... About that article, wow - I loved reading about the author's experiences during the recreation of Yoko Ono's performance art - I understand wanting to ask other people "What are you feeling right now?" but also why that question is irrelevant, because each of them was experiencing the moment in a unique way -- the sharing was that moment, it did not require explanations... I also liked the author's description of the "rebel" artists and this in particular struck me as being very poignant: We said, and showed, what one doesn’t, shouldn’t, can’t. What we were aiming for, crudely, was to elicit that split-second realization that anything is possible, that anything you were told may be a lie, and that anything you haven’t thought of yet may be the truth.
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mirages
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Post by mirages on Feb 21, 2015 15:10:01 GMT -5
lol, it's ok - at least I got a tiny insight into Yoko Ono's mind... I honestly had no idea about her as an artist... About that article, wow - I loved reading about the author's experiences during the recreation of Yoko Ono's performance art - I understand wanting to ask other people "What are you feeling right now?" but also why that question is irrelevant, because each of them was experiencing the moment in a unique way -- the sharing was that moment, it did not require explanations... I also liked the author's description of the "rebel" artists and this in particular struck me as being very poignant: We said, and showed, what one doesn’t, shouldn’t, can’t. What we were aiming for, crudely, was to elicit that split-second realization that anything is possible, that anything you were told may be a lie, and that anything you haven’t thought of yet may be the truth.Oh, I'm glad you found something of value in both links -- I have only a passing familiarity with Yoko's work myself, largely because her music (at least, that to which I've been exposed) is so dissonant and, to me, distressing. That distress is the point, or one point, so this only exposes my own lack of capacity to hold it, work with it the way this article and author does, so I appreciated the piece as interpretation and a way of opening to something I'd previously been fairly closed to. There is another kind of distress, the ability to hold paradox without attempting to resolve it, and the ability to sit with uncomfortable feelings of my own, that I'm getting better at, but it takes work. Or, rather, it takes not-work and not-distraction ... which is why the article author's comments about how we protect ourselves with information struck home to me. I guess all humans have their times of grappling with this stuff and their times of running from it, and we all have our different ways of running (which is one of the reasons I love Runnin' from TP so much ... we all have our drugs/distractions of choice to keep us from coming to terms with the uncomfortable). I also like to ask, "What are you feeling right now?" in order to share another's experience, so as not to make assumptions or project my own onto theirs. But I also liked her take on allowing the experience to be what it was for them adn for herself, too ... it reminded me of Lauren Harris' (Canadian painter) annoyance at people asking him what a painting was "about" or "meant," and Freddie's refusal to interpret his lyrics. As with most things, I want it both ways: I want to be free to have my own relationship, dialogue or experience with a work of art, but I'm also really interested in its origin and context, what it meant to the artist. One does tend to colour the other, though. I also liked the passage you quoted about art and artists exposing and doing what they shouldn't/can't, and in so doing revealing the possibility that something other than the status quo is possible. I've been reading Bruce Cockburn's autobiography and he spent a lot of time in places where artists were the first to disappear when governments began clamping down on civil unrest -- Nicaragua, Guatemala and elsewhere. It's hard for someone in a country like mine to imagine that a poet could be threatening to the powers that be, because here poets and other artists are mostly ignored, which is a shame. I had a friend who ran a flower shop in a trendy Vancouver neighbourhood -- his wife did the arrangements, he did the logistics and wrote poems and essays which he offered free on a little rack outside the shop's front door. He once told me that about 100 of his sheets were taken each week, and I always thought rather ruefully that that probably made him the best-read poet in Canada. In a way, peace and prosperity with all the attendant distractions have accomplished what force in other countries could not: rendering the poet irrelevant, unheard and impotent. "Beware when you enter the land of milk and honey," indeed!
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mirages
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Post by mirages on Feb 22, 2015 1:58:57 GMT -5
toramenor, thank you so much for the link tot he HuffPost article -- enjoyed the thoughts on creative process and what the struggle is or may be in the creative process. I enjoyed the Carol King video and LOVED the trailer for "Five Dances" -- the emotional vocabulary these dancers can express physically is stunning. I found a few more clips on Youtube and just now discovered the whole film on Netflix -- can't wait to watch it! In a bit of synchronicity, the brief clip of the principal dancer cradling a collection of Christmas lights reminded me strongly of a short clip from one of Rudolf Nureyev's performances in the biography I watched recently ... the beauty and light, fragility, love and fear of loss conveyed wordlessly in both was so similar. Here's the Nureyev video, and the segment I'm referencing starts a little after 9:15: I had another bit of synchronicity pounce on me last night, too -- a friend invited me to a lecture by the C.F. Jung Society on Adam and Eve, what the male and female principles have to give each other and the world. In this conception, Adam is seen as spirit and Eve soul/instinct. The speaker was using an alchemical formula as a corrlary of the psychoanalytic process: First comes the One. The One Becomes Two. Two Become Three, and out of the Three comes the One.
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Post by toramenor on Feb 22, 2015 6:28:08 GMT -5
I enjoyed the Carol King video and LOVED the trailer for "Five Dances" -- the emotional vocabulary these dancers can express physically is stunning. That is what I love about that movie so much: the dancing is not just a part of the story, it is the means by which the story is told - even more than dialogue. The dances are beautiful on their own, but they say so much more if viewed in the context of the movie and especially in that order as they are presented by the director. I think the movie, besides the main themes, also shows how words are sometimes not only unnecessary but perhaps insufficient to express certain emotions and only through movement (or indeed stillness) can they fully be revealed. In a bit of synchronicity, the brief clip of the principal dancer cradling a collection of Christmas lights reminded me strongly of a short clip from one of Rudolf Nureyev's performances in the biography I watched recently ... the beauty and light, fragility, love and fear of loss conveyed wordlessly in both was so similar. Here's the Nureyev video, and the segment I'm referencing starts a little after 9:15: That looks like a scene from Giselle, when he goes to lay flowers on her grave... I could be wrong, but that's what I thought watching it. I love Giselle! And yes, I see the similarity you talk about. Actually, Ryan Steele, the dancer from the movie, reminds me of Nureyev somewhat in his effortlessness of technique. If you like him, you might want to check out this video as well - it's not the best camerawork, but the dancing is flawless: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CewGfWCdstE(that moment at around 3.13 (the jump out of nowhere) is so unexpected and absolutely incredible... and shows how important stillness is to the artform, just as much as movement is - both are essential to get the desired effect)
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Post by mirages on Feb 22, 2015 17:33:53 GMT -5
Actually, Ryan Steele, the dancer from the movie, reminds me of Nureyev somewhat in his effortlessness of technique. If you like him, you might want to check out this video as well - it's not the best camerawork, but the dancing is flawless: (that moment at around 3.13 (the jump out of nowhere) is so unexpected and absolutely incredible... and shows how important stillness is to the artform, just as much as movement is - both are essential to get the desired effect) Wonderful, thank you! And from the sublime to the ridiculous ...
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Post by mszue on Feb 22, 2015 19:49:09 GMT -5
I have just finished watching The Birdman. You two are poets and I would love to hear your insights on the film and its self-reflexivity. Have you seen it?
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Post by toramenor on Feb 23, 2015 13:53:01 GMT -5
OK, just one more thing, and then I promise to stop spamming you all with my current dance obsession, Ryan Steele: (I've no idea how this is even possible... this is just ridiculous now.... I wonder how the other dancers feel when they see him doing something like this.... I'm just amazed and thrilled) *** mszue - I haven't seen Birdman, but it's on my to-do list. I'm not sure when I'll get around to it, but I promise to write about my thoughts and observations here once I've watched it.
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Post by mirages on Feb 23, 2015 19:39:41 GMT -5
I have just finished watching The Birdman. You two are poets and I would love to hear your insights on the film and its self-reflexivity. Have you seen it? Nice to see you, mszue! I haven't seen The Birdman yet, either, but intend to ... will post my thoughts, too, and hope to hear yours! toramenor, that man is a marvel. I can't wait to see "Five Dances" -- haven't yet had time to sit down with it. I love how dance can communicate so much without words ... mszue mentions poetry, and what I've always found interesting is how such a verbal medium requires me first o f all to abandon my usual defenses and deep attachment to words and dip down into this deeper well of wordlessness. And then you surface and try to arrange words around the edges of what you encountered there. More paradox!
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Post by toramenor on Feb 27, 2015 13:59:19 GMT -5
How did I not know that February 26th was Tell a Fairy Tale Day??? www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/6-ways-to-celebrate-tell-a-fairy-tale-day/?lfAs a life-time lover of fairy tales, I feel guilty that I missed this celebration. But since we've already established that this After Hours thread exists in a time-zone of its own, maybe we can pretend it's still Fairy Tale Day.... I love this quote from Albert Einstein that they used in the article above: "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be very intelligent, read them more fairy tales." I don't just love fairy tales - I collect them; they are the basis of most books/TV shows/movies that I read/watch; they are at the heart of my own writing - in other words, it all seems to come back to fairy tales. The art of storytelling, the fantasy, the exploration of different worlds, whether they be beautiful and magical, or harsh and gritty... they all seem to originate from fairy tales. Before I could even speak, my parents read me fairy tales. As soon as I could read, my go-to books were collections of fairy tales. As soon as they were on TV, I watched animated Disney fairy tales. As soon as I started buying my own books, I bought books of fairy tales, from any nation that I could find. (I'm not sure, but I think I have tales from about 50 nations from all over the world.) I've written a few fairy tales, as well. They're all a little too long to post here, though... So, instead, to celebrate Tell a Fairy Tale Day, I'll just share with you some of my all-time favourite tales. In no particular order: - Disney's Dumbo (I remember watching it multiple times as a little girl and sobbing like an insane person every time, but I always wanted to watch it again; my mom would be like: "But you know how you always cry and you know there's a happy ending", yet I was adamant: I had to watch it and I'd cry again anyway.) www.awn.com/sites/default/files/image/featured/1016959-disney-developing-live-action-dumbo-feature.jpg- Russian folk tales about Vasilisa the Beautiful also known as Vasilisa the Wise - this heroine is featured in many Russian stories: she is depicted as young, beautiful beyond belief, and wiser than anyone else - she doesn't wait to be rescued; instead, she accomplishes the most difficult tasks herself (a perfect role model for young girls) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasilisa_(name)- Andersen's The Ugly Duckling (the story ends with the duckling realising it's a beautiful swan - I mean, what is not to love about that message!) - the tale of Farhad and Shirin (not sure about the spelling) - an Uzbekistan fairy tale about "star-crossed" lovers (I discovered this little gem by accident a few years ago, when I happened to pass by a street-seller who had second-hand books on a blanket - and among them was a collection of fairy tales from Uzbekistan. I can't remember the exact price, but I didn't pay more than a dollar for it!) - and so many others, I can't list them all... but it would be a very diverse list... I like Chinese folk tales, there are some really interesting Polynesian and South American folk tales, and so on...
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Post by mirages on Mar 2, 2015 19:25:04 GMT -5
How did I not know that February 26th was Tell a Fairy Tale Day??? www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/6-ways-to-celebrate-tell-a-fairy-tale-day/?lfAs a life-time lover of fairy tales, I feel guilty that I missed this celebration. But since we've already established that this After Hours thread exists in a time-zone of its own, maybe we can pretend it's still Fairy Tale Day.... I love this quote from Albert Einstein that they used in the article above: "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be very intelligent, read them more fairy tales." I don't just love fairy tales - I collect them; they are the basis of most books/TV shows/movies that I read/watch; they are at the heart of my own writing - in other words, it all seems to come back to fairy tales. The art of storytelling, the fantasy, the exploration of different worlds, whether they be beautiful and magical, or harsh and gritty... they all seem to originate from fairy tales. Before I could even speak, my parents read me fairy tales. As soon as I could read, my go-to books were collections of fairy tales. As soon as they were on TV, I watched animated Disney fairy tales. As soon as I started buying my own books, I bought books of fairy tales, from any nation that I could find. (I'm not sure, but I think I have tales from about 50 nations from all over the world.) I've written a few fairy tales, as well. They're all a little too long to post here, though... So, instead, to celebrate Tell a Fairy Tale Day, I'll just share with you some of my all-time favourite tales. In no particular order: - Disney's Dumbo (I remember watching it multiple times as a little girl and sobbing like an insane person every time, but I always wanted to watch it again; my mom would be like: "But you know how you always cry and you know there's a happy ending", yet I was adamant: I had to watch it and I'd cry again anyway.) www.awn.com/sites/default/files/image/featured/1016959-disney-developing-live-action-dumbo-feature.jpg- Russian folk tales about Vasilisa the Beautiful also known as Vasilisa the Wise - this heroine is featured in many Russian stories: she is depicted as young, beautiful beyond belief, and wiser than anyone else - she doesn't wait to be rescued; instead, she accomplishes the most difficult tasks herself (a perfect role model for young girls) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasilisa_(name)- Andersen's The Ugly Duckling (the story ends with the duckling realising it's a beautiful swan - I mean, what is not to love about that message!) - the tale of Farhad and Shirin (not sure about the spelling) - an Uzbekistan fairy tale about "star-crossed" lovers (I discovered this little gem by accident a few years ago, when I happened to pass by a street-seller who had second-hand books on a blanket - and among them was a collection of fairy tales from Uzbekistan. I can't remember the exact price, but I didn't pay more than a dollar for it!) - and so many others, I can't list them all... but it would be a very diverse list... I like Chinese folk tales, there are some really interesting Polynesian and South American folk tales, and so on... Oh my gosh, I had exactly the same reaction when I read your first post: how could I not know that? I have a 13-year-old daughter who, more often than not when I come to say goodnight to her, is re-re-re-reading her battered old hard-cover copy of the original Grimm fairytales -- she'd have loved to celebrate Fairy Tale Day! I was not a huge fan of fairy tales as a child, but came at them with a vengeance as an adult, largely through Joseph Campbell's work. There's also a fabulous little tome by Frederich Buechner called "Telling the Truth: The Gospel in Tragedy, Comedy and Gairy Tale" that draws attention to the crucial aspect of fairy tales, which is transformation. He says the spiritual journey is supposed to go past fall / redemption / reconciliation motifs to transformation, and that our hearts long for it and fear it (suspecting how much it will cost), which explains our fascination with fairy tales. He also says that perhaps the reason we are drawn to the very dark side of fairy tales is because we so much to also believe the light, magical side. I'm going to look up the Vasilisa tale you mentioned, although my daughter may already have found it -- she, like you, is becoming a collector of fairy tales and seeks out stories from lots of other cultures and traditions. I also really liked the Story Telling Dice suggestion from the article link you provided ... my family will be going on a trip over spring break this year, so that might be a great way to spend some time together being creative. One of the friends we'll be traveling with recently emailed to offer to read to us all at night, too, and since she is a scifi fan, will probably draw from that genre -- I'm hoping for Orwell or Asimov, or maybe Stanislaw Lem. I'm not well-versed in scifi, though, so it'll be good to hear something out of my usual realm. I actually sometimes conflate scifi and fantasy genres ... maybe it's because in scifi science simply takes the place of magic? Thanks for bringing this over, and sorry again for having fallen into the time warp before answering!
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