I reworked and expanded my last study taking Aditee's and Shyamala's feedback into consideration. Thanks to Shyamala for her direction and camerawork!
Love and Theft from Cynthia Ling Lee on Vimeo.
password: other
FEEDBACK QUESTIONS
(1) What parts of the study do you find compelling in terms of aesthetics and/or content, and which do you find less compelling or problematic?
(2) As per Shy's suggestion, we changed the order of the make-up and costumes in the first half. How does it read differently than the last study? Do you prefer one order to the other, and why?
(3) Is the use of blackface implementing a political critique or simply a reiteration of a painful part of racial denigration from US history? If you see a critique, can you describe the nature of it? How might I deepen, complicate, and nuance that critique? Would it be better to eliminate the blackface?
(4) Do you like the repetition of the same song twice? If not, what kind of sound might you imagine for the first half?
(5) Other thoughts?
Love and Theft from Cynthia Ling Lee on Vimeo.
password: other
FEEDBACK QUESTIONS
(1) What parts of the study do you find compelling in terms of aesthetics and/or content, and which do you find less compelling or problematic?
(2) As per Shy's suggestion, we changed the order of the make-up and costumes in the first half. How does it read differently than the last study? Do you prefer one order to the other, and why?
(3) Is the use of blackface implementing a political critique or simply a reiteration of a painful part of racial denigration from US history? If you see a critique, can you describe the nature of it? How might I deepen, complicate, and nuance that critique? Would it be better to eliminate the blackface?
(4) Do you like the repetition of the same song twice? If not, what kind of sound might you imagine for the first half?
(5) Other thoughts?
(1) What parts of the study do you find compelling in terms of aesthetics and/or content, and which do you find less compelling or problematic?
ReplyDeleteIn general I feel the flame compelling. I feel it is a signifier of dangerous content.
In general I find this video quite disturbing so I’m going to describe my reactions rather then label them as compelling or problematic, since I’m not sure where one begins and the other ends (note that I didn’t have these reactions in person, perhaps because I was in the mode of directing/filming):
At first with the feminine make-up I am just observing you, it seems somewhat normal, not as everyday make-up but perhaps as someone who is going to perform somehting. The subtler lipstick is pretty impossible to see on video but I get the idea that you are putting it on.
The first moment of coal on your face is still quite disturbing to me. I recall the painful history of blackface every time I see it and it makes me feel uneasy, queasy. The lips and flame is weirdly intense and the entire image of your face makes me sad. Then you smile and I wonder to myself, “am I supposed to like this?” I feel confused.
The dance begins and I feel unsettled. It is hard for me to watch the movement because I am preoccupied with the aggression I see on the blackface side vs. the coyness on the feminine side. To me the dichotomy becomes blackface vs feminine (for a second I wonder if the feminine is you because it’s not a painted face, but then the movements seem exaggerated and overly performative to be a representation of a real person). In person, by the end of the dance I felt you were really empowered in embracing different genders and honoring your different cultural influences simultaneously , but on video I just felt confused trying to figure out who you are and who you are representing. It made me examine the idea of appearance and how many choices we are making constantly to put out our desired identities into the world.
(2) As per Shy's suggestion, we changed the order of the make-up and costumes in the first half. How does it read differently than the last study? Do you prefer one order to the other, and why?
I thought this order or putting on the feminine side first would help me read it as referencing South Asianness more, but it didn’t matter. In both videos I felt the blackface overshadowed everything else. So even though you reference Kathak vocabulary and aesthetics, I hardly make the connection to the make-up, perhaps I connect it slightly to the jewelry, though not a lot.
I do agree with you when you told me that this version seems more geometric, so at times I felt the pattern of the face was just a pattern when you were showing both sides of your face both in the beginning and later during the dance. The previous video having the more ragged edge of coal emphasized more the rawness and painfulness of the act of black face. In the newer video I really liked how you used the flame more to make me feel the danger and/or intensity of certain moments.
(3) Is the use of blackface implementing a political critique or simply a reiteration of a painful part of racial denigration from US history? If you see a critique, can you describe the nature of it? How might I deepen, complicate, and nuance that critique? Would it be better to eliminate the blackface?
ReplyDeleteI think your dance and the title gives a new possibility of respect/love for African American culture while recognizing that we have stolen from it, and acknowledging the history of wearing blackface as belittling parody. Where I find it problematically reiterating a stereotypical view of African Americans is the aggressive (sometimes angry seeming) nature of the movement when showing the blackface side of the face. I know I’m the one that wanted more clarity of the two sides in directing you in person, but am realizing that on video it is reading less about gender and more about race. I wonder if the research on Marlene Deitrich’s impersona might be useful in re-crafting some of the masculine movement.
If you get rid of the blackface then the study will probably only read as investigating gender.
The thing that most helps me understand that it is a critique is the title and I wonder if the title comes back at the end to remind me or if there are places words from the title can be inserted singly, or elaborated upon.
(4) Do you like the repetition of the same song twice? If not, what kind of sound might you imagine for the first half?
I don’t mind the song twice but I feel interested in the possibility of the title informing what I see more to help me read the whole thing as more critical. So perhaps the soundscape in the beginning could be deconstructing and reconstructing the title, a poem written in relation to the title, or defining the words in the title.
Another idea that could be separate or in addition to the text idea above, is to use a song that relates to or reads as more exotifying South Asianness in the beginning. This might help me read the feminine side as referencing the appropriation of South Asianness. Maybe putting on the head jewelry first could do this as well, or working on more exaggerated jewelry or make up (wondering if it's possible to make the South Asian make-up so big that it's clown-like and thus references the clownlike lips on the other side). A ½ bindi would really situate me there as well.
(5) Other thoughts?
This remains really intense for me and I think it’s has a lot of potential to be really powerful. I personally would like a little more information to help me situate the piece as a critique as I’ve mentioned above in #4.
1) I find the first section of you getting dressed up extremely intriguing as well as the section of full-bodied movement which is more zoomed out
ReplyDelete2) I didn't see it the other way around. The way it is now creates a behind the scenes moment before the performance, which I like. I especially like the lighting of the match several times and then the mystery of what it becomes---the blackface paint
3) I'm not sure how I feel about the blackface. As I've been out of the loop last couple studies, I am not making the connection of why you are in blackface and I do feel it brings up a painful history. THat does not bother me, but I'm not sure at the moment how it relates to the character you have set up..other than to the blues music. I would eliminate it, but again, I have not been informed by the previous studies, so maybe I'd feel differently had I seen/read the previous.
3) I like the repetition of the music as it provides continuity to the character. I especially love when you so cleverly kick in/integrate the Kathak rhythms in sync with the backbeat of the blues music.
3)