Jan Svankmajer (reading for Tuesday)
The article states: “One of Svankmajer’s primary concerns is
“inner life,” which can be discussed in terms of dream states and suppressed impulses related
to sexuality, violence, and fear.” How do you see this reflected in his work (see examples below)? Please discuss in 100-150 words.
Meat Love
Dimensions of Dialogue
These movies were actually pretty interesting, they both kind of had the same underlying message to me, however I think the second one showed it more. I took it to mean that human beings can be merciless, we tear each other up until they seem to be left with nothing and then we leave them like that. But it also shows us something about the human character, that we are able to pull ourselves together and become stronger in the end from it, even when we appear to be broken beyond repair. And this also showed me how we are all essentially the same on the inside. I see what the article meant by him being a pioneer of his time, but with the content I also see why some people would want it banned. I found the movies to be quite creative and unique, and the way that it goes about portraying life as a cycle hit the nail right on the head.
ReplyDeleteI find these films to be quite interesting. In the first film, the two meats both seem to have impulses that they cant control. I kind of looked at it like the more submissive meat could have known that going into the flour could lead to their demise, and it did so not to be controlled anymore by the more agressive meat. I enjoyed the second film more though, because the concept of two wrongs dont make a right, came to mind. It is also that the less inferior head would soon be consumed by the more agressive head and then the inferior head would then do that same action, as to get back at the other head.
ReplyDeleteSvankmajer’s unique and distinctive style of concerns about “inner life” is clearly visible in these two short films. Both films can be viewed as dreamlike and surreal. Meat Love is obviously representative of the uncontrollable sexual impulses that the meat is feeling. Furthermore watching the film has the ability to bring out the inner sexual impulses that the viewer is feeling. In Dimensions of Dialogue the theme of violence is markedly present. One monster has no issue with destroying and eating a weaker monster. The inconsequential violence that the monsters are inflicting on each other provokes a strange sense of fear in the viewer. Both films were interesting and well representing of Svankmajers theme of inner life.
ReplyDeleteSvankmajer's videos were very interesting to watch. I loved how he played with the textures of all things. the chopping of the food mixed with the plates and forks. everything is interacting with one another and being combined to make things that look exactly the same. All the utensils and objects were essentially being broken down and re-used. He re-used the materials and combined them with one another. Its almost as if everyone is trying the flavors and as they try each flavor it becomes a part of them. This is a huge role oh how people connect with one another and the materials they have.
ReplyDeleteIn the video meat love I definitely see a reflection of some sort of sexuality impulse. The first things that humans notice about another person is if their physically beautiful and especially in the opposite sex, due to the fact the healthy people are usually beautiful and by nature we want to reproduce with a healthy human being to create healthy offspring to ensure our survival. Sexual impulse also has great intention to be very superficial for example just wanting to have sex with someone because of what they look regardless of the person they are. Therefore this turns us into a piece a meat. I think the way the two slabs of meat were interacting with one another was very symbolic of the way the opposite sex interacts with one another when having one goal in mind being to have sex with the other person.
ReplyDeleteIn both videos, Svankmajer depicts "inner-life" by using visual metaphors. Human nature is portrayed by animated, everyday materials. Meat Love shows how sexual impulses are usually physical, having to do mostly with bodily desire, hence the meat metaphor. In Dimensions of Dialogue, we see fear and violence, they take the form of food, office supplies, kitchen utensils, etc. These things all collect to become human-like characters, they consume and they reproduce; however, they are very symbolic of what we could become: materialistic and superficial. In his animations, Svanmaker conveys his thoughts and predictions about humanity in a profound, visual way.
ReplyDeleteI found this to be a very interesting way to do stop motion animation. The first wone was a little disturbing. Meat love was oddly entertaining. I loved to watch them dance but found it odd to see them end up in a frying pan. The second video was a little boring at first. It seemed like every one was just eating another one. It appeared almost like a recycling process. At the end it took on odd twist when the people became more human like.
ReplyDeleteI think the first movie is very connected with sex and violence. Especially the image of the piece of meat can be seen as representing the idea of (women) being a raw piece of meat and the frying is shown as a very violent act. So I definetly see a connection to this. The second movie is harder to relate to the ideas named in the question, although it seemed very violent to me. One could interpret it as a way to reproduce oneself in society. The differnet creatures keep eating their opponents, which might be a hint to the idea of the 'survival of the fittest'. Summing up, I think that both movies show very basic and animalistic instincts of the human character.
ReplyDeleteWhile these two videos had very different plots and subjects I noticed the same underlying message in both. It seemed as if in both Svankmajer was trying to show us that all of the struggling we do and all of the crazy in life we go through we are always growing and improving. It was more evident in the second film with the various steps of the one figure eating the other resulting in both figures becoming more human but it could also be seen in the meat film. Despite the fact that the one meat appeared to see the other one naked they ended up being seemingly perfect for each other.
ReplyDeleteJan Svankmajer's concept of inner life appears in both short films, though their emphasis on it is different. In Meat Love (1989), the animation (and title) incorporate a very literal interpretation. Taking slabs of meat and providing them their own motions and actions, give the meat a sense of life and awarness. This is even taken a bit farther by giving the meat slits for mouths as well as using a protruding end as an arm. Together, the two slabs provide each other an even greater sense of life by engaging in a dance on the cutting board (unfortunately ending in their inevitable consumption). In Dimensions of Dialogue PT. 1 (1982), Svankmajer's emphasis on inner life takes the form of kitchen utencils and ingredients grouping together to form faces and bodies. Though they do not maintain the same level of self-awareness and personality, they do provide the grouping of items a sernse of a living union, a system where every part plays a role in life and motion.
ReplyDeleteI found Svankmajer’s films to be quite creative and unique. Both films depict different kinds of relationship. Meat love shows, with the help of the title, a clear example of a sexual relationship. The steaks are at first just checking each other out, but then promptly start dancing and flirting. These pieces of meat had a short, but sweet one nightstand because; out of their control they were both suddenly stolen and cooked. I see the animation, Dimensions of Dialogue as a fight, or race between two enemies to become the strongest. They continuously are swallowing each other’s ideas parts (maybe idea’s or traits) to combine and recreate an even more powerful character.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed both videos and believe that they portray similar ideas but in very different ways. They both contained interactions between people, in one case the people were symbolized by meat while the other was objects such as the forks and knives. I was mesmerized in the second video about the way att the different utensils and objects kept reforming over and over again into something new.
ReplyDeleteSvankmajer’s films have an interesting perspective to it. one feels some sort of personification with the characters. whether it was with the meat or the ones with the books, food, and machines. In the video with the meats one gets a sort of story behind both meats, for me as i viewer i felt that the fact that they were dancing gives me a vision of them being alive not too long before they were served. in the second video it portrayed life to me as we know it but in a reverse. Think about it we consume books(knowledge), food (nutrients), machines (day to day use). all to one day achieve the best we can but in the reverse in the video they consume each other and produce us......
ReplyDeleteI found these videos really interesting. In both videos, Svankmajer did a great job in using visual metaphor, dream state effects to express his "inner life""concerns. In meat love, he used two pieces of meat as the symbol for human (human are made from meat), the video suppressed impulses related to sexuality. In the second video, the figure on the left is made from mechanic (symbol of human) and the figure on the right is made from organic (symbol of nature). As they comsume each other, the result come out is a human figure, made from clay (symbol of earth, dust). I think this video suppressed impulses related to violence and fear.
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