Rivers and Tides (2001/2003)
I often think that if there is a
God, He is dead. Why not? We, as mere humans, create
life different from our own, a life with intelligence
and one that continues even when we are asleep or
dead. (Are we God?) This intelligent life we have
created currently exists mainly in cyberspace, but
a time may come, will come, when cyborgs, robots and
other "artificial" beings we have created may live
long after their creator, long after we, humans, have
died out. This scenario seems a reasonable simile
to the way humans came about to me. We were created,
at one time, with a purpose, and that purpose was
to serve some other form of intelligence. After our
creators died off, we continued and soon lost all
reasoning of a sense of purpose. Our God was dead
yet we lived on.
I used to think this "God," our
creator, was a scientist, much like those involved
in computer and cyborg technologies today. Now, after
seeing "Rivers and Tides" and being exposed to Andy
Goldsworthy's art and ideas, I wonder if maybe I wasn't
wrong. Oh, I still think God is dead. But now I think
he was more than just a mere technocrat. Our dead
God was quite probably also an artist.
Goldsworthy creates remarkable art
using mainly objects found in nature. He often uses
these to change nature, to manipulate nature, to challenge
nature or even to make nature more visible to the
naked eye. But this isn't done in an ironic, manipulative
and modern style (such as the work of Cristo). Rather,
Goldsworthy is working with an ideal of exposing the
nurturing nature of the world, the ebb and flow of
life, rather than the ironic distance of man vs. nature.
Many of Goldsworthy's works are
created to be impermanent. Many of his works of art
have components made to decompose, melt, float away
or blow away in the wind. His hands are often covered
in soil, ice, water or cuts made from handling rough-edged
rocks. When we meet him in the beginning of this documentary,
his is creating an egg-shaped object out of stones
on the edge of a waterway with the idea that in hours
the tide will come and wash it away.
Goldsworthy's work would be of major
importance even if he alone were the only person to
witness its creation and ultimate destruction. (Albeit,
some of his works are meant to last for a long time).
But thanks to the revolution of photography and videography,
even the most transitory of Goldsworthy's works can
be witnessed by everyone. His work takes place usually
in silence and generally in solitude, although he
does have a few helpers on some projects. But, due
to his extensive photography and video-taping of his
work, we get to experience these amazing compositions
as well. And their beauty, relevance and poignancy
are breathtaking
This work is of relevance to anyone
alive on the planet. Goldsworthy's art is, in a large
part, about nothing less than the transitory nature
of existence. But his works are also about the beauty
of nature, the secret life of nature, the ebb and
flow of all things, small moments, big moments, context
and creation among a million other messages. This
is not to say that Goldsworthy sets out with egotistical
pretenses to begin with. In fact, he is a gentle,
peaceful, intuitive and unassuming man. His work seems
to be little more than an extension of his personality.
But what a beautiful insight it becomes to those who
witness it!
Filmmaker Thomas Riedelsheimer could
have created a captivating documentary by simply recording
Goldsworthy at work, incorporating video of his work
into this film and utilizing talking head interviews.
He does do this but also uses his camera in amazing
and fluid tracking shots to cover the settings of
Goldsworthy's work. This makes the film revolutionary
and brilliant. When the artist spends time working
in a rapidly flowing stream near his home in Scotland,
Riedelsheimer films the stream in beautiful, flowing,
moving, tracking shots that simply astound the viewer.
Every moment of this film is important and beautiful.
Riedelsheimer makes this so. He is almost as important
as Goldsworthy here.
It may be a cliche to say this but
I don't know all that much about art. I just know
what I like. I used to believe that art was only good
if I liked it when I saw it. I used to think that
if I had to be told a story about the work of art
or had to have the work explained to me by the artist
or some other person, the work had no value. After
seeing "Rivers and Tides," I find my attitude changing.
While the film would be glorious and beautiful even
if projected silently, with Goldsworthy explaining
his ideas and ideals, the film becomes magical, poignant
and even more beautiful. This is a film to love and
a film that must be shared with friends and lovers.
This is a film with a heart bigger than art or cinema.
This is a film with a heart as big as the world, as
big as the universe.
Notes:
The full title is: "Rivers and Tides,
Andy Goldsworthy, Working With Time"
Released in 2001 in German, the
film did not appear in America until January 2003.
The amazing score is by Fred Firth.
Viewed at the Dobie in Austin in
September 2003 at a press sneak. The print was in
horrible shape.
