Big Waves and Beach: Peter Hutton's At Sea, Maya Deren's At Land, and Vimukthi Jayasundara's Between Two Worlds
Entre dos mundos from Banda TRANSIT on Vimeo.
“In the beginning was the sea … and when a man or a woman, falls from the sky to the sea, the game starts or restarts …”
Watching this is highly recommended. It is a visceral montage from Banda TRANSIT, dubbed Entre dos mundos — my roommate, Juan, says that translates as, “Between two worlds.” Makes sense, haha, it’s part of the titular line.
This is a montage of coalescing images of big waves, beach footage, driftwood, and a man whom jumps into the water and climbs the rocky cliff neighboring a beach. The opening shot is from Peter Hutton’s At Sea, a film I pine to sea in its entirety, and footage from the great Maya Deren’s At Land, and footage from Vimukthi Jayasundara’s Between Two Worlds.
Synopsis: This video contains footage from At Land (Maya Deren, 1944), At Sea (Peter Hutton, 2007), and Between Two Worlds (Vimukthi Jayasundara, 2009). They try to illustrate a divulgative and creative text about Deren’s, Hutton’s and Jayasundara’s productions. It doesn’t exist any profit motive in mind. (Covadonga G. Lahera for (cinentransit.com)
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Additional Synopsis: Diálogo imaginario entre tres interlocutores: At Land (Maya Deren, 1944), At Sea (Peter Hutton, 2007) y Between Two Worlds (Vimukthi Jayasundara, 2009); tres conexiones surgidas a lo largo del tiempo en marcos dispares: un curso iniciático de cine experimental y dos festivales tan distintos, a priori, en cuanto a concepción y público objetivo, como Documenta Madrid y el Barcelona Asian Film Festival (BAFF).
Maya Deren, escupida por el mar, asiste a un rewind de las olas en la playa y así comienza su gloriosa deriva surrealista; para Peter Hutton la mar es una forma de vida y marca la primitiva línea del horizonte como una enigmática sutura entre el cielo y el océano, entre la embarcación donde aguarda encaramado y la distancia que lo aleja de tierra firme. Caminos que surcar, cuestiones de escalas. Rojo (barco), azul (cielo) y aún más azul (mar).
Existe, por descontado, una forma de “activismo observacional” en la realidad sensible… y Hutton es uno de sus acólitos. Utiliza sencillamente el cine “como herramienta para enseñar las cosas que le gusta mirar”. Deren también parte de la observación y del mundo, de los sueños y de las pesadillas y los conecta, los subvierte, los altera… Ambos realizadores norteamericanos (nos) reivindican otra mirada sobre las cosas.
Jayasundara explicita esa histórica tensión mar-tierra en su nativa Sri Lanka. Between Two Worlds arranca precisamente en tal intersticio. Y, una vez más, un hombre cae del cielo al mar. En el filme de Jayasundara también ocurre y sucede con un tema musical de Lakshman Joseph De Saram que impregna de dramatismo las imágenes: es el comienzo de la película, pero también una existencia recién llegada.
Deren silente y muda; Hutton mudo y silente, salvo por diecisiete palabras, las que inauguran At Sea y que bien podrían ser los cimientos de toda una obra: “Al nacer, el ser humano se precipita en un sueño, como un hombre que cae al mar” (Joseph Conrad).
Las intersecciones surgidas entre estos tres filmes, y algún otro título más llamado a la fricción, dan pie al texto “Asociación libre: Enlaces acuosos”, publicado en la sección Derivas de este mismo número. En el comienzo era el mar… Y cuando un hombre, o una mujer, cae del cielo al mar, la partida empieza o vuelve a empezar.
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Google Translator Translates (expect inaccuracy): Imaginary dialogue between three parties: At Land (Maya Deren, 1944), At Sea (Peter Hutton, 2007) and Between Two Worlds (Vimukthi Jayasundara, 2009), three connections have arisen over time in different frameworks: a course of initiation of experimental film festivals and two so different, a priori, as to design and target audience, such as Documenta Madrid and Barcelona Asian Film Festival (BAFF).
Maya Deren, thrown up by the sea, attending a rewind of the waves on the beach and so begins his glorious surreal drift, for Peter Hutton the sea is a way of life and mark the original line of the horizon as a suture between heaven enigmatic and the ocean, between the boat which waits perched and its distance away from the mainland. Ways to sail, issues of scale. Red (ship), blue (sky) and even blue (sea).
There is, of course, a form of observational activism “in the sensible reality … and Hutton is one of his acolytes. Use simple film “as a tool to teach the things you like to watch.” Deren also part of the observation and the world of dreams and nightmares and connects the subverts the alter … Both American filmmakers (we) claim a different perspective on things.
Jayasundara explicit tension that historic sea-land in his native Sri Lanka. Between Two Worlds starts precisely in this gap. And once again, a man falls from the sky to the sea. In the film Jayasundara also occurs and it happens on one piece of Lakshman Joseph De Saram of drama that pervades the images: the beginning of the film, but also a newcomer there.
Deren silent and dumb; Hutton mute and silent, except for seventeen words, which open At Sea and that could well be the foundation of an entire work: “At birth, the human being precipitated in a dream, like a man falling the sea “(Joseph Conrad).
The intersections between these three films have emerged, and some another title called friction, give rise to the text “free association: Links aqueous” published in the section derived from this same number. In the beginning was the sea … And when a man or a woman, falls from the sky to the sea, the game starts or restarts.
2 Comments
Well that was really great. Tags: Summer; Dinner Parties; Foliage.
Jayasundara and Joseph de Saram are important new figures in Asian cinema. Their outlook on life is a bleak one, full of fear and apprehension. They are the children of brutality and senselessness. Their art is all about that, they are trapped. One wonders if it will ever change.