Lynne Sachs
Professor Kase well prefaced the work of Lynne Sachs as a
hybrid of formats. Charged by a sense of political consciousness, inquires of
gender perspectives, among many others influences, Sachs experimental ‘movies’
utilize many forms of home-movie aesthetics, documentary footage, and a sheer
playfulness with her physical alterations of the 16mm stock used in many of her
films.
In fact King 101 seems to be teeming these types of
filmmaker. Just yesterday (Tuesday the 19th) another burgeoning
filmmaker showcased his own hybrid film, Descent,
which married documentary style footage with obscure avant-garde aesthetics. As
such, our own Jake Hart is well on his way to continuing a tradition of
experimental ‘film’-making, along with our speaker Lynne Sachs.
In the films showcased on Wednesday evening we can already see
the echoes of filmmakers studied as of recent. In Sachs’s The Task of the Translator there’s this voiceover to home-movie
footage that’s oddly reminiscent of Jonas Mekas; though in this case the orator
is Hungarian, versus Lithuanian. In addition, The XY Chromosome Project has moments where painted colors and
lines trickle along the actual film stock, reminding us of the same practice
used by Len Lye.
The final two films, both grounded by a home-movie aesthetic
resonated with me the most. Both Same
Stream Twice and The Women’s March (forgive my remiss memory as to this
title) had this dual quality of endearment and melancholy. Both featured young
girls as they continue to grow, physically and emotionally, in a world ever-more
exciting, but even more so confusing.
Having had the pleasure of speaking with Lynne following her
discussion, and enjoyed her shared thoughts on the language of experimental
works, and how they have little to no preface. They are fresh with each new endeavor,
like that of a painting. Her approach to filmmaking is unique too, as she
allows meaning to arise out of actions, where the subconscious spills out into
one’s work.
All this said, I’m definitely looking forward to hearing her
speak again in class!
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