"A good way to think about Barney's work is probably just to accept its ambiguity, which, in a sense, is his basic point." - Michael Kimmelman (full article here)
After seeing Cremaster 1 and Cremaster 2 (for the second time), I think that Micheal Kimmelman is on to something. The more you try to digest or understand Barney's work, the less it congeals into any actual meaningful sum. Perhaps it is best viewed as a collection of musings on mythology, both real and imagined, or a series of highly staged performance pieces. I think it is just best to sit back and let the wave o' Barney wash over you and see what sticks. That said, let me do my personal recap from my most recent viewing.
In some ways, Cremaster 1 seemed like a Bjork video to me. It is no wonder the two have formed a partnership. Knowing that this installment of the cycle is meant to represent the human reproductive organs in their most undifferentiated state (thanks wiki), I can rationalize the blimps as the polarized sexes vying for control of the anatomy (ie. the chicks on the football field). But on a subconscious level, I say references to ejaculation, erection, anal beads, and total physical euphoria. Suddenly Bjork doesn't seem so unique.
Cremaster 2 is highly homo to me. This scene in particular, I interpret as a homosexual man fetishizing and fantasizing about another um, man (?) [Did you see that small dick?]. His murder played out in my mind like flirtation gone wrong. Maybe the small dicked Gilmore in the car(s) chamber was not ready to be viewed as a sexual object just yet. The cocoon was not ready to reveal a complete sexual organism. Maybe, the scene is about homophobia, though probably not. It's hard to say, but all the buffing and inserting of cylinders into the manly cars - well, need I say more?
---
Is Matthew Barney all he's cracked up to be? Find out for yourself. Just be sure to enter the theater with a clear and malleable mind. Oh, and read this too.
No comments:
Post a Comment