Insane Art

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Insane Art
Naïve. “Dare to be naïve,” said Buckminster Fuller. Naïve paintings exist, why not Naïve films? What is it with film that makes people so obnoxious and serious? It’s art for crap’s sake! (Literally.) We artists are such egomaniacs. We do our thing instead of spending our time searching for ways to end world hunger or find a cure for AIDS. We’re stupid. But I assume this. I assume my ego. I assume my actions. I assume it. And because I assume it, I now have the right to do whatever the hell I want! Break all codes and destroy any barriers that may exist to try to keep me out! I will make my film, Histoire d’Echo, under these terms: Get Real! and Get Over Yourself! It’s just art! And with the idea that filmmaking is not in “their” control – it is my (he)art! Simplicity. I lack the qualities of formally trained filmmakers. Thank my Dog! Regardless, I have invented my own expressive and stylistic codes and I’m working without rules but with the influence of all the arts – Merce Cunningham and Meredith Monk (dancers/choreographers); Patti Smith (punk rocker and poet); Marc Chagall (painter); Sun Ra (musician); Buckminster Fuller (architect/visionary); Diane Arbus (photographer); Jodorowsky (filmmaker); Erik Satie (pianist/composer); Goethe (writer); Marinetti (ideologue/poet/editor); Nietzsche (philosopher); ee cummings (writer); Alice Neel (painter); Susan Sarandon (actor/activist); Charlie Chaplin (actor, etc.); Jung (psychiatrist) – and all the various subgroups within the art categories. I cannot believe people are still shocked by things today. It is a grave contradiction because people are not shocked by brutality, abuse, death or war but when it comes to “violating” conventions, people freak the fokk out! This is curious to me! Film is a great medium to expand the boundaries. It is a powerful medium. It is a playground for the children still hiding in our hearts. What is it? Art Brut? Naïve Art? Outsider Art? Insane Art? Yep. Does it make sense to be all these? Yep. Histoire d’Echo will be my explosion, my rupture. It will, hopefully, prove to people (once and for all) that film and video making has reached the point at which it can be viewed as painting and, thus, can be approached from a million angles and no longer sits alone, untouched, unchallenged on the uppermost shelf – collecting dust and continuing to be bad! The roads leading to film/video art can be very diverse. That’s it. Furthermore, there is no such thing as life! There is only what Jung calls “meaningful coincidences”. Everything and everyone is a sign pointing us in “the” direction. If we follow those meaningful coincidences, we will end up at ourselves. We are either breathing or we are wasting our time! Anatol Jakovsky said “Naïve painters always have little blue flowers in their hearts”. That’ me! That’s me! Only, I’ve got a camera and I’m not dropping it! This week, I talked to two of the main actors and they are ready to fly in from Iceland and the US, we all just have to be aware of their schedules, which are a bit crazy as one is dodging Katrina and Rita and busy being a father and the other is a student with exams! The soundtrack is in the making – I spoke to the two musicians in charge and we are all on the same page. I didn’t fill out that French dossier – didn’t even go near it. I’m just going to talk to everyone I can and see where I end up! People will be interested in this project. I know this. Having lived in Austin, Texas, I believe in becoming a student in order to have discounts and access to equipment. So, tomorrow, I’m calling one of the professors at Paris VIII to see about registering. One thing for sure, I’m going to need a really good line producer. Essential. The sound and the line producer! And as soon as I can, I’m going to buy a big black book with a bunch of blank pages in it and this is going to be our journal. This is going to be our brain…and, at the end of this project, it will be an art object itself!
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