Sharton Lockhart

Sharon Lockhart's film was difficult to watch. Her work was introduced as "durational," reminiscent of Michael Snow or Nathaniel Dorskey's work, of the ethnographic genre. The film we were shown today (I did not catch the name!!) was filmed while Lockhart was in Japan. There was one setting that comprised the entire aesthetic: a gymnasium with a stage. The progression of the film was defined by the movements of the Japanese students' movement, mimicking that of children marching, playing gym games, or sometimes just organized, rhythmic movement.

The most striking element about Lockhart's work was her composition. This is where Dorskey's influence was quite obvious. Her slow, thoughtful consideration of the subject matter demanded the same intellectual processing as Dorskey's slow examination of "variations." Though Lockhart's background remained constant, her characters and movement provided a means of measuring progress over time. The movement was slow, very poetic. Her shots and transformations over time were purposeful and very structured. Michael Snow's theory of control and accessibility drove the artistic decisions behind the movement. Her shots were simple and controlled, providing a means to put all of the audience on the same level.

Two mediums she used to accomplish this were rhythmic structures and dance movement. Though the film subjects were reflecting common activities that take place in gymnasiums, the movement was very artistic and intentional. The driving rhythm structured the movement, creating a very contained, disciplined motion that demanded a vague sense of plot, yet transcended cultural boundaries through music and created an engaging, and in many ways, interactive experience.

I enjoyed the static nature of the background contrasted with the foreground movements. This technique eliminated any distractions, and developed a very focused attention to the movement progression of the subjects. At some points, even the foreground subjects were static, and arranged in a unique manner, creating a pleasing composition.

Lockhart called referred to her practices as durational. I agree, but would go even further to describe her work and include the technical control of all elements. Although her film that was screened in class was very tiring and sometimes difficult to focus all the controlled elements into a processed scope of interest, it opened a very fascinating window into technical mastery.