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NYU in London: an affiliate of New York University,
Tuesday 9th of January 2007 at 7pm
BUILDING (9.30 mins) and 'OUT THERE' (22 mins), (see the link for the synopses).
6, Bedford Square
London WC1B 3RA www.nyu.edu/global/london
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NEW YORK UNIVERSITY IN LONDON
Presents: Tuesday the 9th of January at 7PM
‘BUILDING’ - Short video of 9.30 mn - Music: Johann Sebastian Bach
Synopsis
This video is based on the probable closure, of a studio complex for artists, where I have been based for nearly 20 years. Accompanying the video is the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Mass in B minor. I wanted the music to create a certain nostalgia and melancholy. I chose to film very slowly the exploration of the building: stairs, corridor, toilets, compiling a narrative for the building: All is quiet and empty. No life or atmosphere. I omitted any kind of natural sound in order to create a certain atmosphere of loss and emptiness.
Most artists are obviously worried about losing their studio. The building is very quiet. They cannot find much time to concentrate on their art; as a consequence of having to pay for materials, accommodation, in addition to the cost of running a studio. Artists need to work almost full time, creating other sources of income. I wanted the video to represent that feeling of melancholy and mystery. The aim of this film is to present a realistic view of the life of most artists.
The building has around 40 studios with over 60 artists being in at varying times. I saw a lot of internal and external changes in the site. I remember quite clearly the time when gypsies were allowed to stay close to our building. They were of the kind of nomadic type, never to stay very long. People were not keen on their presence, attributing incidents to them. The reputation of the area at the time was one of dangerous and threatening atmosphere. Now it has become gentrified. You can see the difference on any Saturday when you visit Broadway Market, situated around the corner. The sound of voices has changed.
My relationship with the building and therefore my studio is similar to a marriage; commitment, pleasure and despair.
‘THE OUT THERE’ – Film of 22 mn
With Michael Ewling – Music: Gyorgy Ligeti
This chilling tale of one man's descent into madness was published shortly before the author was institutionalized for insanity, and so 'The Horla' has inevitably been seen as informed by Guy de Maupassant's mental illness. While such speculation is murky, it is clear that de Maupassant - hailed alongside Chekhov as father of the short story - was at the peak of his powers in this innovative precursor of first-person psychological fiction. Indeed, he worked for years on 'The Horla's' themes and form, first drafting it as 'Letter from a Madman,' then telling it from a doctor's point of view, before finally releasing the terrified protagonist to speak for himself in its devastating final version.
Maupassant had suffered from his 20s from syphilis. The disease later caused increasing mental disorder - also seen in his nightmarish stories, which have much in common with Edgar Allan Poe's supernatural visions. Critics have charted Maupassant's developing illness through his semi-autobiographical stories of abnormal psychology, but the theme of mental disorder is present even in his first collection, La Maison Tellier (1881), published at the height of his health.
On January 2, in 1892, Maupassant tried to commit suicide by cutting his throat and was committed to the celebrated private asylum of Dr. Esprit Blanche at Passy, in Paris, where he died on July 6, 1893.
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