The Artist is Present: Response

I really enjoyed seeing this movie in class and so I could know a little more about the art of Marina. Actually, I have great difficulty understanding interpret some forms of art, and this documentary I could marvel at Mariana and his companions. In addition to the teachings of his art, was also fascinating know a little about her personal life. Now I can say I know Marina's and admire.

The Artist is Present: Response

I really enjoyed this movie. I’m already a fan of Marina Abromovic’s work but I think this movie helped me respect her more. I knew nothing about her personal life before this movie. I judged her based strictly on her early work. The movie showed her strengths and just how far she would go for her artwork. I didn’t expect her and Ulay to give so much information and be as open as they were. This was my favorite part of the movie because I felt like in that moment she and Ulay were only human like the rest of us. I even shed a tear when they reached their hands across the table to grab the others at the MoMA performance. That was beautiful. I also love how honest Ulay was honest when he just said how lazy he was. Marina has a stronger desire and drive to perform and that is why she is a different state then Ulay right now.

I do wonder where she would be right now if her and Ulay were still together, probably not the artist we know her as today. I think all things happen for a reason and the breakup with Ulay may have been painful but it seemed like the birth of a new artist.

I like Marina how she is now more than when she did her earlier work because she has been hurt and went through struggle. I love to see a person when they are vulnerable it just makes them that more real and likable to me. Knowing all of this just makes me enjoy her work that much more. I feel like she will keep working until she dies. I don’t see her giving performing a break because of her age. I think she will perform and work even harder. She was in her 60’s when she did “The Artist is Present“ I think it’s pretty amazing as to how someone her age could handle the performance the way she did. The connection she had with her audience amazes me! The tears during the performance were beautiful.

This movie just helped me have that much more respect for her. I get really tired of just seeing artist work after work without having any history of them; it makes me feel like the work is less desirable. I also have a lot of respect for Yoko Ono as well because I find her personal life fascinating. I’m really big on learning about a person’s history and I enjoy the way Marina was so open about giving hers. This movie not only gives me a bigger respect for her, but for performance art as well.

Even after finishing the movie I decided to do more research and I thought it was cool hat she is working with Lady Gaga on her latest album “Artpop.” What other person in their 60’s would be working with Gaga?!? That’s just awesome. I think both of them are crazy and make amazing work, I like crazy. She looks amazing for her age. Much respect.

The Artist is Present: Review

The Artist is Present

Marina Abramovic is beyond my awe. I have previously been introduced to Marina's work, so I should not be so completely dumbstruck, but I honestly can't help it. I fear I may be redundant in my review for I feel everything has already been said. She's brilliant. She's endearing. Inspiring. Jaw dropping. We get it; we feel it. I can honestly only tell you how she made me feel: I truly wanted to stop everything I was doing and follow her. She has such a passion that can only be described as enigmatic. She's a true life size puzzle that you want to solve, but can't. I find myself reeling at simply the mere possibility of her works, let alone actually carry out with them. It is interesting to hear about such a childhood she had; you can tell and see firsthand how that aspect of her life as truly influenced herself and her work, as she comments on the vulnerability and raw emotion each human possess, especially with her fixation on the portrayal of the human body. I would love to completely see the thought process of how she and her team come up with a piece: from the idea, to execution. The film was also beautifully edited. The camera angles and shot were very personal, and the ways in which they were position to evoke emotion between the viewer and the image.

Movie Response: Blue

This was easily my favorite movie we've seen in the class so far. It was so creatively made. I enjoyed immersing myself in the sound which made every action poignant and haunting. The most memorable instance for me was the scene in which the family is pulled over on the side of the road. The low-angle camera with soft focus background zooms in on a liquid dripping underneath the car which immediately alerts the audience of a looming car accident. If an audience member hasn't realized what the dripping is, they later realize that it was brake fluid. It was subtle but an amazing use of foreshadowing. 

From what I understood of the movie, the sudden orchestral interlude is a representation of Julie's subconscious or recollection of the accident haunting her in the form of a melody. It begins every time someone questions her about it, at which point the screen goes black. Part of the reason may be because Julie shuts down compulsively, but it may also be because she has no recollection of the accident or has intentionally blocked it.

Although I know some people found that parts of it were hard to follow, I think it's an accurate representation of Julie's perspective because her losses rendered her alienated, hollow, and confused. Altogether it was a beautiful movie. 

Movie Response - Three Colors: Blue

The movie “Three Colors: Blue” was quite different than what I expected to be. During multiple points in the movie I thought I understood what was going to happen but then there would always be some kind of twist. Kind of like the movie Psycho, what you expected turned into something complexly different. With the movie being in a different language we were all forced to pay very close attention when reading the subtitles. I think this was good because it can be easy for us to fall asleep during a movie, even if it is a good movie. The concept of the movie is still a little unclear for me. I felt like there was no real ending to the movie. Every intense situation that happened in the movie was left for the viewer to make up his or her own conclusion about it. I think the strong sounds in the movie that happened after an intense situation worked very well. I also like the blank screens, but a few times I got confused and thought the blank screen meant that the movie was about to end. Overall I think the duration and intensity of the sounds can make of break your work. This was a great movie to help us understand how sound works in time-based media. For me personally I liked how the blank screens also gave you time to digest what you just saw. It gives you a minute for it all to just sink in.  I want to use this method within my project. Even though the movie was something that I did expect I really enjoyed it. It gets really boring when you can predict a whole movie and this movie did the opposite of that.