This is a very exiting exhibition that I saw at the Mac from a Canadian filmmaker who uses 35mm film to create a visually breathtaking exhibition. From the moment I entered the room I was amazed at the fact the film, 2000 feet of it, was travelling vigorously around the room without stopping; the sound filled the room and instead of it being unpleasant and almost buzz like it reminded me that this is what film is- what it was. I believe Egoyan plays homage to a lost art form. Film used to be something tangible that you could touch and mold to create these moments we see on film but the digital age has moved us off that into a time when film is no longer something exclusive but can be made by anyone and at any time.
The thought behind the film collecting dust and being scratched as it moves around the room is linked to the film onto it. John Hurt acts in front of the camera the play Krapp's Last Tape and as the character slowly looses his memory and being the film does so too as it naturally fades and disintegrates just like memory does. It is so clever. So innovative. To use the wear of the film as a metaphor for memory and life and to also show the younger generation what filmmaking used to be.
I saw the HD digital version of the film and was also moved by Hurts performance and speech but could never take my eyes off the moving film on my left. There was just something magical about it to me as it also equally upset me by the fact film has lost its sense of self. I mean that in the sense that it is all numbers and digits now. It is code and no longer actual film. The office made inside the exhibition also mimics the office of a filmmaker to me and it is also filed with film and pictures. What does the office of a modern filmmaker look like now?
This is an exhibition that I want to see again and again, it has inspired me to get an old 35mm camera, to find my parents old film and to think about our memories and the fact they will all inevitably decay and fade.
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