by Guy SHERWIN
1981-1983 / 16mm / b&w / silent / 1S / 35' 00 |
Messages was made over a 3 years period, when my daughter Maya was first learning to talk and write.
A major source of inspiration for the film was Maya's curiosity about the world, beginning with questions to do with her perceptions of the physical world, ans as she got older, to do with social behaviour. These 'innocent' questions (apart from being almost impossible to answer) seemed to me to be of a philosophical order that challenged long-established truths. They made it clear to me that 'knowledge', acquired through language, obscures our ability to perceive.
The pace of the film is slow, and the structure open-ended. Images progress through oblique association rather than linear sequence, enabling the viewer to reflect back to earlier images in the film, as well as drawing on personal childhood association (two aspects of memory are involved here). The implication is that each person's perception of the film is unique. G.S.
distribution format | 16mm |
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screen | 1,33 - Silent (single screen) |
speed | 24 fps |
sound | silent |
rental fee | 118,00 € |