day/day

day/day

Two sources came together in me and stirred me to put this video together: A Catherine Opie photography exhibit I took in at the ICA last summer, and a very short Larry Eigner poem that I fell in love with last year.

I liked how Opie's images were presented in counterpoint. Two distinct themes were on display: shots of sunrises or sunsets over calm water were hung around the outer perimeter walls, while on interior walls that were broken at perpendiculars photographs from protests were displayed in counterpoint with photos of social change such as photos of a gay marriage and a woman's group meeting. The quiet of the sea setting contrasted with the loud voice of the signage of the protest photographs. Then, again in contrast, quiet images of social change offered counterpoint to protests.

Hot Rods is the Larry Eigner poem that blew me away when I first read it. In just a few lines he finds quiet in the the deafening sound of of a muscle car's revving engine, stating that both quiet and noise occupy the same space. Wow. I think of this poem often.

I thought of presenting a similar theme while I was at an Occupy Boston rally October 15. As I walked around the protest, both Opie's photographs and Eigner's poem came to me as I witnessed the chanting under the beautifully clouded sky. I make this film in solidarity with Occupy Boston.

If you are still reading and are interested here is a link to Catherine Opie's ICA exhibit with a slide-show of a couple of images:
http://www.icaboston.org/exhibitions/exhibit/catherineopie2011/

You Tube will not accommodate the lineage of "Hot Rods"
so here it is without the appropriate line spacing:

Hot Rods

so the same

space

there houses

as the day's

quiet

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• day/day
• art
• occupy
• boston
• protest
• wall
• street
• contrasts
• james
• carew

[Poemsapennyeach]

Interesting montage and conclusion

[DavidRandallCurtis]

Very, very cool. Faved! :P

[Idlinfarm]

Terriific video! I got some footage of the event in Eugene on Saturday and uploaded it to Youtube but it never showed up. Exceedingly tame in Eugene. Viva La Revolution! I feel it's an extraordinary time-----but then perhaps all times are so.

[andrewnorris2]

A wonderful conglomeration of contemporary ideas given further relevence. Larry Eigner's poem seems apt at this point, too, after that British indy racing driver died at the weekend. The noises of the accident were soon silenced in the shock and horror of the aftermath. Poignant video, James. Noise and silence occupying the same space, tremendous notion.

[HerAeolianHarp]

Always interesting to end my week with the thought-provoking poetic montage you offer, James. "I am not a human resource. I am a human being." Well done.

[tinySpectacle]

a great artistic mash-up--I like the quiet ending.