The Cinema Effect: Ask the Artist blog
Monday, August 11, 2008
Ask the Artist call for questions: Omer Fast
Omer Fast
Godville, 2005
Video installation
Color. Sound
51 minutes
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Holenia Purchase Fund, in memory of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, and Joseph H. Hirshhorn Bequest Fund, 2006
The subjects of Godville are residents of Colonial Williamsburg. Fast interviewed a “housewife,” “militiaman,” and “slave” about their real lives and their roles. Fast’s aggressive editing emphasizes the power of the filmmaker over the representation of his subjects. The line between performer and self is complicated as each subject blends historical fact, subjective interpretation, the vagaries of memory, and performative flourish.
“…what’s exemplary about Fast’s approach [editing] is that the final product does not gel into some spectacular reconfigured whole…His Brechtian interruptions genuinely interfere with the coherence of the subject matter, providing space for critical thought.” -Mark Godfrey, Frieze
Read the full Frieze article here.
Comments
Did the historical actors you used see the final film? If they did, do you recall their reactions?
Posted by: Simone | August 29 2008 at 2:44:59 PM
Dear Mr. Fast, I understand how your work demonstrates the manipulative qualities of editing, but I still wanted to know what the film is about in essence what''s the story about. I''m use to finding my meaning in a story Are the formal qualities enough?
Posted by: John | September 2 2008 at 10:44:14 AM
This is by far the most brilliant piece in the exhibition. I cannot say enough about how this piece exemplifies the subtle methods through which documentaries can manipulate content and portrayal. This piece subverts the idea of ''the orthodox documentary'' exposing the fact that the History Channel and a PBS documentary cannot avoid diversions from original content that some of the other more popular and perhaps unorthodox documentary filmmakers are exclusively accused of doing (e.g., Michael Moore). Would you agree or disagree that despite what the medium has to offer, it also binds, and as Sontag has suggested, makes a spectacle of its subject regardless of any intent for objective documentation?
Posted by: Liz | September 10 2008 at 3:20:28 PM
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I really enjoyed your film. It was like poetry, had a lot of depth, and made me think about many different things. How long did you spend working with the residents of Colonial Williamsburg? Was your more like a documentarian where you research and time with your subjects? Or do you already have an idea of what you''''re wanting? I guess my question is how much does your subject inform what you finally do?
Posted by: Lester | August 29 2008 at 2:42:55 PM