Last time (yesterday) I talked about the lack of figures in my paintings. But I recalled this little work I made this summer with bright almost electric blue, delphinium days.
There is blue almost everywhere I do and see and Derek Jarman's Blue sentences come on my mind at least on a monthly basis, maybe bi-weekly even.
Excerpt from Blue by Derek Jarman
If you are not familiar with his work I recommend to watch this movie. Watch it with subtitles.
I was so excited that this movie was showing in the cinema. I brought all my friends even to watch it with me.
Unfortunately the sound and acoustic of this theatre was bad. They put effort to have a surround installation though, with I think 3 speakers in front, 2 on the sides and 3 in the back (not sure at all but something like that).
Unfortunately we, sitting in the back, didn’t catch the voice over, which was coming from the front speakers mainly.
To me, this is a classic mistake of overlooking the importance of audio in art and cinema.
The entire experience for me was ruined, as my friends are not native English speakers, the low sound made it really hard to catch the gorgeousness of Derek’s poetry.
I know having subtitles defeats the purpose of the movie — which is too rely mostly on your ears, and witness just the colour blue, similar to the sight one can have while suffering from a later stage of AIDS, where one’s vision deteriorates so much only a blue color remains.
“The white flashes you are experiencing in your eyes are common when the retina is damaged. The damaged retina has started to peel away leaving innumerable black floaters, like a flock of starlings swirling around in the twilight.
”
On the other hand, especially for this reason, sound should be extremely well mixed. Also the sound design of the movie is captivating. Apparently there has been live soundtrack concerts. The guy introducing the movie has seen one…!
I read the manuscript of the film especially and then I decided to by the book. because I find the text, so beautiful. I think this is my favourite piece of art in the world maybe. Everything about it is beautiful and heartbreakingly violent at the same time.
“I’m walking along the beach in a howling gale
Another year is passing In the roaring waters I
hear the voices of dead friends
Love is life that lasts forever.
My heart’s memory turns to you
David.
Howard.
Graham.
Terry.
Paul ...”
Delphinium, Paris (from the serie Flowers at a Roundabout)
I just realised what a Delphinium is. It’s a flower. And it’s a flower I took a picture of, one of my favourite images I have made last year.
“Blue of my heart
Blue of my dreams
Slow blue love
Of delphinium days”