My Creative Statement?
In week one we were asked to start writing our creative statement. It's now week 13 and I'm not sure I'm closer to any sort of realisation about this or me.
This is what I wrote then:
If everything is absurd nothing is. By subverting peoples expectations, or taking things way out and to the bizzare, pacticurlarly fairly normal situations, perhaps I'll be able to convince myself that everything is ok.
Conversely if nothing is absurd, everything is.
Since then I've been kind of bogging myself under the confussion of WHAT IS MY CREATIVE STATEMENT? WHO AM I? WHAT IS MY? DO I POSSESS ANYTHING? WHAT IS CREATIVITY? OH GOD I'M GOING BACKWARDS
And...
'Everyone else seems to really know who they are and what they're doing, but I've never felt more in the dark'
I'm constantly searching for some elements of truth to permiate through my 'Creative Statement' and link that in some way to my 'Research Question' - whilst I think I need to spend the mid year break talking to myself about how unnecessary my natural rebellion to finite things is... I'll also be thinking about how I'm a little bit closer to being and nothingness.
Here's a script I wrote inspired by the absurdity of knowledge:
SEEING AND NOTHINGNESS
by Stephani Day
VO (ANTON):
His father was a metaphysician and his mother, a painter. They were most successful. However, and much to Rene’s emptiness, they died tragically.
Rene now basks in the glory they spared him. A large home, a loyal servant, inspiring views and all the time in the world to pontificate. Like Socrates, or Aristotle, he will be, but of course, remembered as one of the greatest thinkers of his time.
Rene doesn’t have many friends, but the people that do know him live across the sea, on the southern cliff. They monitor his moves and his thoughts, because sometimes Rene has epiphanies, great moments of profundity and pure clarity.
S
OPEN TO A LARGE, OPEN, SPARSE ROOM, WITH FLOOR BOARDS, LARGE WINDOWS OVERLOOKING A VISTA. THE ROOM HAS A FEW KEY OBJECTS CAREFULLY PLACED: A MARBLE BUST ON A PLINTH. A VERY HEALTHY, LEAFY GREEN PLANT, AND THE ORIGINAL MATISSE BLUE NUDE II.
RENE, DRESSED IN A WHITE CASHMERE TURTLENECK, BEIGE PANTS AND AN EMERALD, SILK KERCHIEF, APPEARS TO BE STARING OUT THE WINDOW AND INTO THE DISTANCE, WITH A VACANT YET FURIOUSLY CONTEMPLATIVE EXPRESSION (LET IT BE KNOWN THAT THERE IS OFTEN VERY LITTLE PASSING RENE’S MIND).
RENE’S ETERNALLY LOYAL, LONG SUFFERING BUTLER, WAITS PATIENTLY BEHIND RENE, HANDS BEHIND BACK. HE IS DRESSED IN BLACK, SILK HIGH WAISTED PANTS AND A DARK TURTLE NECK, WITH A TURKISH HAT ON TOP, ANTON STANDS ATTENTIVE TO ANYTHING THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAPPEN NEXT, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RENE CAN BE SOMEWHAT UNPREDICTABLE, AND DEFINITELY ALWAYS ANTICLIMACTICALLY STRANGE. JUST AS WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN NEXT.
RENE QUIETLY GASPS.
ANTON, RUSHING TWO PACES FORWARD, ARRIVES AT RENE’S SIDE, AND LOOKS UP AND OUT INTO THE DISTANCE TO SEE WHAT IT IS.
A: Rene, what is it?
RENE PULLS HIS HAND TO HIS MOUTH SLOWLY WITH CONSIDERATION OF HIS THOUGHT.
R: Ha! I can’t believe I haven’t noticed this before. It’s simply fascinating
ANTON PANS THE VISTA IN FRONT OF THEM, LOOKING FOR ANYTHING WORTH LOOKING AT. THE FACT WAS EVERYTHING WAS WORTH LOOKING AT. THE ROOM LOOKED OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND THE OCEANS, BUT AS FAR AS ANTON COULD SEE THERE WAS NOT A SPECIFIC THING IN SIGHT.
R: Are you seeing this Anton?
A: Seeing what exactly, Rene?
THERE IS A PAUSE BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM, WHILE ANTON IS TRYING DESPERATLY TO CATCH UP TO WHAT RENE IS LOOKING AT AND REALISING, RENE IS INCREASINGLY IMPRESSED AND MOVED BY HIS DISCOVERY.
- Rene, Seeing what?
INT. DAY. APPARTMENT
A WOMAN STANDS LOOKING INTO THE MIRROR PUTTING ON LIPSTICK WHILE HER BOYFRIEND PULLS UP HIS SOCKS ON THE BED. IN THE LIVING ROOM IS THEIR DARK SKINNED SERVENT, ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT QUITE SO DIVIDED, HE SEEMS TO BE NOT DISSIMILAR TO A FRIEND WHO LIVES WITH THEM AND COOKS THEM FOOD.
THE PHONE RINGS.
THE SERVENT WALKS INTO THE COUPLES BEDROOM
A LONG PAUSE.
A: Re…
R: Use your eyes, my dear Anton, Can’t you see?
It’s beautiful, it’s dark. It’s mysterious. It’s glistening. It’s so bright. Can’t you see? For heaven sakes, it’s blinding, Anton!
A MAN, A WOMAN AND A MAN APPEAR IN THE ROOM. HAVING
THREE PEOPLE COME RUNNING IN FROM THE DISTANCE. THEY’VE GOT THE NEWS OF ESTEBAN’S MYSTERIOUS SIGHTING.
E:The glisten…
THE PEOPLE TURN THEIR HEADS SIMULTANEOUSLY TO LOOK IN THE DIRECTION OF ESTEBAN’S GAZE.
THE PEOPLE TRY TO GUESS WHAT ESTEBAN MIGHT BE SEEING.
S: The tree’s
R: An industrial age
T: Is it the future?
ANTONY IS FED UP WITH THIS, HE THROWS HIS HANDS DOWN AND LOOKS AROUND HIM IMPATIENTLY, BEFORE PUTTING HIS HANDS BACK ON HIS HIPS.
E: Do you see it?
ANTONY AND THE OTHERS EXTEND THEIR HEADS SIMULTANEOUSLY; ONE LOOKS OUT OVER THEIR GLASSES.
ESETEBAN IS STILL LOOKING TO THE DISTANCE. WE HAVEN’T SEEN THE FRONT OF HIS FACE YET.
WE CUT BACK TO THE CROWD AND ANTONY.
A: What can you see Esteban?
THE CAMERA CUTS TO A SIDE PROFILE SHOT OF ESTEBAN.
HIS EYES ARE CLOSED.
CUT TO ANTONY AND THE OTHERS, THEY’RE STILL LOOKING, WAITING, EAGERLY BUT WITH SOME PATIENCE FOR AN ANSWER.
A: Esteban?
CUT TO FRONT ON, CLOSE UP OF ESTEBAN’S FACE. HIS EYES ARE CLOSED.
E:Nothing.
THE END.