Get out your color wheels
It's not a film, but I think it says something about film: In the SFMOMA exhibition Your Tempo, by Olafur Eliasson, which is famous for having a frozen BMW, there's something more extraordinary. 360 degree room for all colours features a round room with a translucent wall lit from behind. The color of the light changes frequently, with quick, smooth transitions. Just when you get used to one color, another one overtakes it.
How did I know how to view this artwork? From seeing the people already inside it. (There was a line.) Everyone was standing close to the wall and staring at it, so I went over to the wall and stared at it. I assumed there were images I couldn't see from the side or something. In fact, the man next to me said to his son, "wait 'til you see the airplanes." I don't know what he meant by that. I think I asked him, "are we supposed to see something?" and he said, "Just unfocus your eyes and look at it. It plays with the rods and cones of your eyes." Were there instructions somewhere?
Well, I took off my glasses, the better to unfocus my eyes, and stared at the wall. Each new color imposed a new mood. It quickly turned into an intense, absorbing experience. There were no words, no narrative, no breaks or stopping points in the show. It was like being in another world for a minute or two, or I don't know how long, really. All I remember is the hot pink, which was like an incredibly loud noise without a sound. I almost had to look away.
It showed how color can affect our perception of what we see, and specifically film and video. For example, how could Run Lola Run be anything but an intense and high-strung movie, given the main character's artificially bright red hair? Lola's hair is a counterpart to the red second hand on the clock, a different shade but just as pulse-quickening.
How did I know how to view this artwork? From seeing the people already inside it. (There was a line.) Everyone was standing close to the wall and staring at it, so I went over to the wall and stared at it. I assumed there were images I couldn't see from the side or something. In fact, the man next to me said to his son, "wait 'til you see the airplanes." I don't know what he meant by that. I think I asked him, "are we supposed to see something?" and he said, "Just unfocus your eyes and look at it. It plays with the rods and cones of your eyes." Were there instructions somewhere?
Well, I took off my glasses, the better to unfocus my eyes, and stared at the wall. Each new color imposed a new mood. It quickly turned into an intense, absorbing experience. There were no words, no narrative, no breaks or stopping points in the show. It was like being in another world for a minute or two, or I don't know how long, really. All I remember is the hot pink, which was like an incredibly loud noise without a sound. I almost had to look away.
It showed how color can affect our perception of what we see, and specifically film and video. For example, how could Run Lola Run be anything but an intense and high-strung movie, given the main character's artificially bright red hair? Lola's hair is a counterpart to the red second hand on the clock, a different shade but just as pulse-quickening.
posted by Steve at
8:56 PM
1 Comments:
cool stuff yeah?
but how do you know what is "like being in another world"? :) Have you been there? hehehe...
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