#426 Stan Brakhage
Nope!
Well, that's a shame. I went and checked out the Brakhage thread and there was some good discussion here (though it got a little heated). Got me thinking about Brakhage again and wishing I hadn't sold off the Blu-Rays. Lately I'm more into narrative cinema than experimental, but some of those films are truly gorgeous and thought-provoking.
I read that whole thread, too, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think getting heated sometimes is OK (right?) as long as you can have those moments and maintain close, respectful relationships thereafter (something I'm still learning entering middle age).
Not that I'm trying to reheat that thing that happened a decade ago, but getting 2021's 1SO to weigh back in on Brakhage would be quite interesting and probably quite informative for my own journey. Also, if I were to start with Brakhage, where would I go, what would I be watching?
Lastly, the "What's art?" conversation sure has come up a lot here, and I still think that's absolutely a good thing. We should never feel settled there. Art is too dynamic, often controversial and confrontational, to ever be well-defined. That said, I quite like this bit of wisdom from MT in that thread (in response to Bondo, but to me that is not important because Bondo is a friend and an awesome person, even though we disagree on works of surrealism and experimentation - ala The Colour of Pomegranates. It's all good.):
What makes your translation not "real"? Art is about two things: intention and interpretation. You don't have to successfully decode the intention to have your own interpretation. It doesn't have to be a jigsaw puzzle waiting to be solved. You can put yourself into it, your own vision, your own ideas, your own prejudices. Moving away from a language you know increases these possibilities. You are not being told "this is X, Y and Z". You are a person with your own mind, embrace it. Yes, it's fun and rewarding to be told a story. It's also fun and rewarding to be presented with something that doesn't so blatantly tell you a story, and explore what thing says to you. And it's also fun and rewarding to be shown a thing you don't understand, gather some more knowledge about it, and view it again with that in mind.
This is the perfect explanation of the value of nonnarrative (and narrative!) film without being elitist. For the record, I don't mind a little elitism or snobbery, but it's not helpful in these kinds of conversations, just plays into the hands of people who don't agree with your POV. MT skirted that impressively. This is something I'll come back to as I continue my journey, which probably has to include some Brakhage now.