IN A BLUR OF DESIRE (ARAYA RASDJARMREARNSOOK)

I went to see IN A BLUR OF DESIRE, a video installation by Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, earlier this year. The videos show moments of some poor and innocent-eyed animals (pig, cow) before, during and after being killed. I don’t know if this video has turned some viewers into vegetarians like BLOOD OF THE BEASTS (1949, Georges Franju) or not. At least for me, thinking of this video makes me not want to eat meat.

However, I guess the purpose of Araya is not about promoting vegetarianism or something like that. Reading the brochure of this video installation makes me guess that she is interested in the moment between life and death.

I like the brochure of this installation very much. Maybe I’m more impressed with it than the video which is too sad and too painful for me to watch. I don’t know why I always identify myself and my feelings as animals in films. That’s why I always feel bad when I saw animals getting killed or hurt in films, because I feel as if I were these animals.

However, I don’t want to talk about the painful video. I just want to talk about the brochure. What I like about this brochure is that Araya wrote about some persons or paintings which I have no knowledge of. Reading the brochure makes me want to know what the paintings mentioned in the brochure really look like.

So I google the internet and try to post them here.

THINGS MENTIONED IN THE BROCHURE OF “IN A BLUR OF DESIRE”


1.JUDITH BEHEADING HOLOFERNES (1598)
A painting by Caravaggio


2.JUDITH BEHEADING HOLOFERNES (1611-1612)
A painting by Artemisia Gentileschi


3.A PHOTO OF LEWIS PAYNE AWAITING EXECUTION (1865)
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1354/1330586634_463b0062e6_o.jpg


4.THE SACRIFICE OF ISAAC (1603)
A painting by Caravaggio
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1274/1330586644_09969e53f9_o.jpg


5.ABRAHAM AND ISAAC (1634)
A painting by Rembrandt
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1360/1330586692_e15ba2c460_o.jpg


6.CORESUS SACRIFICES HIMSELF TO SAVE CALLIRHOE (1765)
A painting by Fragonard
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1409/1330586700_ae242a0c1c_o.jpg


7.LA RAIE (THE RAY) (1728)
A painting by Chardin (1699-1779)
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1396/1330613146_bd6be587bd_o.jpg


8.THE SLAUGHTERED OX (1638)
Rembrandt
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1078/1330613154_b5ba1b43b4_o.jpg


9+10.ET IN ARCADIA EGO
Two paintings by Nicolas Poussin
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1310/1330613158_c67a985a61_o.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1297/1330613166_60bfadeaa8_o.jpg