Away

I've been thinking how much I like the feeling of 'away'; removing myself from day-to-day happenings to be on my own without distraction. This feeling of solitude, of 'away', is very important to my art practice and to me as a person. I'm yet to figure out how to balance this need in my day-to-day life though...

I've been staying at Homer's house, a speck in the Wimmera, for the last few days. It's nice to catch up after some time and I've been happy I can help by cooking a few meals. I enjoy Homer's company; the way I can mention a particular writer, artist, film or describe my latest thought or idea and he will be able to teach me something new and give me a large book to read (or at least look at).

His library and ever-growing DVD collection are a delight as well. Over the last few days I have discovered the film director, Lina Wertmüller (a female film director!) I had never heard of her before but after watching Night Full of Rain and Swept Away, I can't wait to watch more of her films. I loved the settings; an ancient monastery in Italy and a deserted island in the Mediterranean, respectively. They were both very powerful films; many layers of meaning to explore.

Last night I watched Werner Herzog's Land of Silence and Darkness in front of a waning fire in the lounge room. I found this documentary film very moving; what kind of experience does a deaf and blind person have of the world? How can they communicate with other deaf and blind people? I kept thinking about the people Fini visits in the film. The middle aged woman wrongly put into a lunatic asylum when her Mother dies; she retreats into herself and eventually forgets how to talk. And the 22 year old boy never taught how to communicate, walk or eat properly; does he hit himself in the head with a ball just to feel something?