Learning from Iconoclasts

Robert Redford’s Sundance Channel is constantly impressing me with its refreshing and provocative programming. One of my favorite series on the channel is a series Mr. Redford himself created – Iconoclasts. The series pairs two icons – people who are innovators and pioneers in their respective fields – and paints a unique picture of creative visionaries. Entering its third season, Iconoclasts has had such pairings as dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and chef Alice Waters; media mogul Sumner Redstone and producer Brian Grazer; designer Tom Ford and artist Jeff Koons; and other creative forces.

Each show has provided me with incredible learnings from a myriad of brilliant minds. My thinking has been challenged in so many ways – whether it be an artist deepening my thinking on how I express myself, a dancer expanding my ideas on creative collaboration, or a poet reframing my view of words – I thoroughly enjoy learning through this avenue and will probably write much more about this series in the future.

Download Season 2 here (iTunes).

Soundwaves

My girlfriend and I visited an art exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art this past week. The exhibit, “Soundwaves: The Art of Sampling“ focused on sound (duh!). It was a very cool exhibit that did something that contemporary art does so well – challenge your conventional thinking. The exhibit took a look at the intersection of sound and art – and each informs the other. In some cases, artists utilized sound in its conventional use. One large scale piece by Canadian artist Jean-Pierre Gauthier consisted of a myriad of objects including steel tubing, a water pump, funnels, bird calls, horns, trumpets and much more. As the viewer walks under and around the large structure, different noise-making devices are triggered – and shut off once he/she walks away. The piece was, at once, whimsical and fun – all the while, changing our perception of how we interact with sound – and how it interacts with us. Viewers must ask the question, “If I’m not here, does the sound exist?”

Focusing on such highly existential questions can cause one’s head to hurt. Other pieces were more light. Including an incredible (and very fun) piece by French artist Celeste Boursier-Mougenot. “Untitled (series #3)” (seen above) consists of 3 inflatable plastic pools, equipped with water pumps and immersion heaters. Floating in the pools are 93 assorted bowls and 21 stem glasses. The pumps gently circulate the water causing a random collision of the different floating objects. What results is an unpredictable cacophony of clinking glass and porcelain. It was soothing and inventive. I wanted to sit for hours just listening to the beauty of it.

Perhaps what most challenged my perception of sound was a piece by American artist Steve Roden. In working with a 12-page classical musical score, Mr. Roden realized that the height of a musical staff is about the same size as 16 mm film. So, Mr. Roden created “Four Words Four Hands (apples.mountains.over.frozen.)” by tracing all of the notes in the score onto clear film stock using seven different colored pens – one for each of the notes A through G. The finished film is beautiful – and totally silent. My girlfriend and I sat in silence, “watching sound,” our thinking on sound shifted – instead of listening to it, we saw.

Across the Universe

Across the Universe is, perhaps, the best film I have seen this year. If not the best, it is certainly the most wildly creative. Director Julie Taymor (Frida, Broadway’s The Lion King) paints a stunning picture of the sights, sounds and feeling of the Vietnam War era and the social unrest and revolution that surround so much of that time. Ms. Taymor marries her precise visual style with the music of The Beatles. 33 of the Mop Tops’ songs were re-recorded and performed throughout this musical adventure. While the overall structure of the plot follows a typical American musical, Ms. Taymor provides a refreshing visual ingenuity coupled with the undying lyrics of those famous Beatle tunes.

The film, like any, has moments of lackluster, but as the New York Times writer Stephen Holden noted, “Across the Universe captured my heart, and I realized that falling in love with a movie is like falling in love with another person. Imperfections, however glaring, become endearing quirks once you’ve tumbled.” (Full article here.) I echo Mr. Holden’s observations – you can’t help but love this film. In fact, upon seeing it for the second time, I couldn’t help but smile at different points of the film. It wins your heart from the moment Jim Sturgess’ character, Jude, begins to sing the intro to “Girl”. From there…I was hooked. What followed was a film I would see again and again. Incredible singing, beautiful symbolism and a wonderful story meshed together create a vivid and awe-inspiring work.

Some critics have commented that Ms. Taymor couldn’t decide if this was to be a love story or socio-political commentary. I argue that it can be both. While many will fail to see how both can co-exist within a single film, Ms. Taymor creatively weaves together the star-crossed love affair of Jude and Lucy, set against the torrid times of the 60s. We see two stories unfold – the micro-story of Jude, Lucy and their close friends; and the macro-story of the social revolution of the time. We see how these characters interact with each other and, more importantly, how the interact with each other in light of the ethos of the era. Granted, some of the anti-war sentiments run high – and rightly so. Ms. Taymor doesn’t hold back in drawing clear lines on her view of the Vietnam War and it’s correlation to the war on terror. In one scene, 18-21 year old men, stomping across the landscape of Vietnam, carry a giant replica of the Statue of Liberty while singing “She’s so Heavy.”

Regardless of social commentary – Across the Universe is a visual spectacle – rich in color, depth and beauty. I couldn’t recommend it more. It did everything I want a film to do – it made me think, it made me feel, it made me smile and it made me cry. I once again, was reminded of the power of film. Bravo.

A New Idea…really.

What does it take to have a truly “new idea”?

One begins to ask how they can actually create something new…something that hasn’t been done before. Of course, we’ve all heard the line about writers, “Good writers adapt, great writers steal outright.” I’m sure this think transfers to other creative types, too. When a painter paints, isn’t he just doing something someone has already done before? Aren’t musicians just changing notes around to the same song that has been composed in a million different ways?

I was impressed yesterday by a new movie that is coming out. I’m Not There is a biopic by director Todd Haynes. Mr. Haynes is a wildly creative person, with a small following. He hasn’t made that many movies, and none have really been commercial successes – but his mark as an innovator is big. The movie is based (sort of) on the life of Bob Dylan (another innovator and wildly creative person). What impressed me about the film is that Haynes has six different actors playing the prolific musician, including a black child, a woman, an Aussie and Richard Gere!

How creative! Six different actors all playing one character…that’s innovation. Mr. Haynes takes a art form that is, in a way, tired. Many would say that film has become an art formula. Story + actors + advertising = good movie. How great that Mr. Haynes is redefining how actors interact with a film.

Essentially, Mr. Haynes reframes our notion of such an iconic character in modern music history. Mr. Dylan’s reputation as an immensely skilled songwriter and poet has made him somewhat larger than life. However, in using six different actors, with varying ages, genders and races, Mr. Haynes takes our perception of the musician. In seeing a wide cast portray Mr. Dylan, we begin to see ourselves in him. And how fitting – who hasn’t heard a Bob Dylan lyric that they swore was written about them?

Perhaps innovation isn’t about a wholly new idea. Maybe it’s about connecting with your audience in a new way, or teaching them to think differently, or reminding them of a feeling they had in the past.

Insomnia, Ideas & Innovation

I suffer from insomnia. I’ve dealt with it for years. Please, don’t try and suggest that a glass of wine or warm milk will help…because it won’t. And if you’re trying to pawn off your “new” sleeping pills, please. I’ve tried them – at best, they give me four hours of sleep and, at worst, a feeling of psychedelic transcendence the following day.

Suffering from such an affliction, gives me a lot of time to think. Last night, rather, early this morning, I came to the conclusion that I should give in to the phenomenon that is blogging. However, I’m committing this space to creativity. Rather than blog about my personal life, work life or whatever else people go on and on about, I’m going to share my thoughts, ideas and learnings – essentially, ideas that I have. For now, this is a “secret” blog – in that, I’m not telling anyone that I am writing it. Therefore, these words are an anonymous transmission to the world, at least for a while.

In writing out creative bursts, I hope to gain a better understanding of my own creativity. I hope to learn how to hone and focus my artistic nature – in essence, to be innovative.

More to come on that soon…