MARGUERITE DURAS IS THE WINNER

My poll 52 ended with 14 votes. That’s great! Thanks very much to everyone who participated in it. Here is the result:


I LIKE THESE MULTI-TALENTED FEMALE ARTISTS. WHICH ARTISTS DO YOU LIKE?

1.Marguerite Duras (filmmaker, writer)
She got 5 votes, or 35%.

2.Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook (filmmaker, writer, graphic artist, installation artist)
+Susan Sontag (filmmaker, writer)
+Yoko Ono (filmmaker, singer, performance artist, conceptual artist)
Each of them got 4 votes, or 28 %.


5.Cindy Sherman (filmmaker, photographer)
+Laurie Anderson (singer, performance artist, violin builder)
+Marina Abramovic (filmmaker, performance artist)
+Rebecca Horn (filmmaker, sculptress)

Each of them got 3 votes, or 21 %.


9. Janice Martin (acrobat, singer, violinist, pianist)
+Joni Mitchell (singer, painter)
+Tracey Moffatt (filmmaker, photographer)
Each of them got 2 votes, or 14%.


12.Doris Doerrie (filmmaker, writer)
+Laura Mulvey (filmmaker, writer)
+Nezaket Ekici (filmmaker, performance artist)
+Nuntana Weerachon (filmmaker, writer)
+Peggy Wauters (sculptress, drawing artist)
Each of them got 1 vote, or 7 %.


17.Miranda July (filmmaker, performance artist)
+Pinaree Sanpitak (painter, sculptress, installation artist)
+Sam Taylor-Wood (filmmaker, photographer)
+Sudsiri Pui-ock (filmmaker, painter)
Each of them got 0 vote.


--I’m very glad that Marguerite Duras won the most votes. Thanks to Zach, I just watched BAXTER, VERA BAXTER (1977, Marguerite Duras, A+). I only understand 10 % of the film, because the film is in French with Spanish subtitles, but I still like it very much. The images in this film are very captivating for me, though in a lesser degree than INDIA SONG, NATHALIE GRANGER, and AGATHA AND HER UNLIMITED READINGS.

The use of soundtrack in this film is very interesting, too. We seem to hear the sound of a local festival intruding into the film space, but we only see the empty beach. We never see the festival. The using of sound of offscreen source reminds me the beggar woman in INDIA SONG, and the festival which occurs offscreen also reminds me of ABIGAIL’S PARTY (1977, Mike Leigh, A+).

I also like what Delphine Seyrig said something about death near the end of this film.


--One thing which I like very much in IN THE POOL OF STILL WATER, THERE IS A YEARNING FOR THE TORRENTIAL FLOW OF THE BIG RIVER (2009, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, A+) is that it reminds me of a small problem in my life. Maybe Araya didn’t intend to cause this effect to the viewer, but this film makes me think about the problem of how to balance between the time I spend with myself and the time I spend communicating with other people, such as playing Facebook, writing this blog, and reading other people’s blogs.

When I spend time with myself, such as watching DVDs alone, reading a magazine alone, listening to CDs alone, I feel very happy. It is a peaceful kind of happiness. Maybe this is like the pool of still water. But sometimes I also want to communicate with other people. When I talk to my friends, I’m happy. It is an exciting kind of happiness.Maybe this is like “yearning for the torrential flow of the big river”.

But sometimes I couldn’t control the balance. Sometimes I spend too much time playing the internet until I don’t get enough sleep. Sometimes I spend too much time thinking about something in the internet until I can’t focus on my work. I think I have to control this kind of yearning.