WARNING: NOT SAFE FOR WORK UNLESS YOU WORK IN A MUSEUM AND HAVE THE SECURITY CAMERAS OFF
Hullo world.
I'm in Boston, right now, actually in Cambridge, working with director Steven Bogart, a wonderful crew of young actors, and Stephin Merritt, evolving a theatrical thing about the Grand Guignol, the Parisian theatre of horror, in the early years of the 20th century. We're in a church sub-basement, and I worry a little about the cries of pain, screams of fear, and sounds of human beings completely breaking down as they are tortured and destroyed making it up to the street, but if they do it doesn't seem to bother anyone.
Jessica Fox, a filmmaker, is recording our process, and a couple of days ago we headed into a nearby graveyard and recorded a promotional video for All Hallow's Read. (What is it? learn all at http://www.allhallowsread.com/) I love actors. They are people who will happily sacrifice their 10 minute breaktime to murder each other in a graveyard in the background of someone else's video.
Yesterday morning Amanda and I were invited to the Museum of Fine Arts' DEGAS AND THE NUDE exhibition. Amanda had done the audio guide to the exhibition, the one you get from an iPhone as you walk around the exhibition. This is because a) she has a beautiful talking voice and b) she can talk with authority about being nude. We were given a private showing. Amanda had brought chalks and some paper along, because she had had an idea.
"I thought I could take off my clothes in front of the Degas nudes, and then Neil could draw me," she said to the Museum people, as they began our tour.
They conferred, decided this would be just fine as long as the security cameras were turned off. Then they discovered that they couldn't turn off the security cameras, so they had a man in a forklift come in and hang coffee cups over the security camera lenses in that room. And I sketched nude Amanda in chalks for ten minutes. Then I got in a cab and went over to WBUR Boston to record a bit I'm doing for THIS AMERICAN LIFE about Adventures and how I don't have them.
Ira Glass was on the other end of the line. He introduced himself. "How was your day?" he asked. So I told him. There was a pause. "Are you lying?" he asked, sensibly, and I said no, I wasn't.
The THIS AMERICAN LIFE piece goes out this weekend. The theme is ADVENTURES.
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Labels: nudity, What adventures are, Degas
I'm in Boston, right now, actually in Cambridge, working with director Steven Bogart, a wonderful crew of young actors, and Stephin Merritt, evolving a theatrical thing about the Grand Guignol, the Parisian theatre of horror, in the early years of the 20th century. We're in a church sub-basement, and I worry a little about the cries of pain, screams of fear, and sounds of human beings completely breaking down as they are tortured and destroyed making it up to the street, but if they do it doesn't seem to bother anyone.
Jessica Fox, a filmmaker, is recording our process, and a couple of days ago we headed into a nearby graveyard and recorded a promotional video for All Hallow's Read. (What is it? learn all at http://www.allhallowsread.com/) I love actors. They are people who will happily sacrifice their 10 minute breaktime to murder each other in a graveyard in the background of someone else's video.
Yesterday morning Amanda and I were invited to the Museum of Fine Arts' DEGAS AND THE NUDE exhibition. Amanda had done the audio guide to the exhibition, the one you get from an iPhone as you walk around the exhibition. This is because a) she has a beautiful talking voice and b) she can talk with authority about being nude. We were given a private showing. Amanda had brought chalks and some paper along, because she had had an idea.
"I thought I could take off my clothes in front of the Degas nudes, and then Neil could draw me," she said to the Museum people, as they began our tour.
They conferred, decided this would be just fine as long as the security cameras were turned off. Then they discovered that they couldn't turn off the security cameras, so they had a man in a forklift come in and hang coffee cups over the security camera lenses in that room. And I sketched nude Amanda in chalks for ten minutes. Then I got in a cab and went over to WBUR Boston to record a bit I'm doing for THIS AMERICAN LIFE about Adventures and how I don't have them.
Ira Glass was on the other end of the line. He introduced himself. "How was your day?" he asked. So I told him. There was a pause. "Are you lying?" he asked, sensibly, and I said no, I wasn't.
The THIS AMERICAN LIFE piece goes out this weekend. The theme is ADVENTURES.
More next post...
Labels: nudity, What adventures are, Degas
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message 1:
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Sally
(new)
Oct 06, 2011 04:22AM
Excellent! Modelling nude amongst such an excellent exhibition would have been fabulous for you both, I'm sure.
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The amount of sheer joy these collaborations elicit in me is probably illegal.
My husband lives vicariously through my reading your blog. He's sure to love this one!! :)
i like how big brother can be foiled by coffee cups.also, neil can draw? huh.
Why, Neil, you're such a flirt! Amanda, too!
Oh heavens what a FUN post - and what a great everyday adventure. I love it. Thanks for sharing this quick moment of delight.
Beautiful :) I wish I could be like Amanda...No fear for anything.
"Like the Degas..."Elegantly poised, arms raised,
Cool air embraces your skin.
Lover keeping watch,
While the other eyes are covered.
Still like the Degas,
Yet more lively, perhaps,
Free and feeling, natural,
Beauty in ten minutes.
Inspired to be inspiring,
Though perhaps accidental,
Freeing dreams of many,
Derobed in your art.
The memory etched, in chalk,
Framed to exhibit.
This fleeting moment,
A little big adventure.
Jen wrote: "Beautiful :) I wish I could be like Amanda...No fear for anything."Very nice....and appropriate.
As it happens, I am reading this at work, which is at a museum, and the security cameras ARE off (at least, I hope they are). Alas, I don't have a Degas hanging in my office. But I do have a reproduction of Man Ray's Le violon d'Ingres. Will that do as a back drop?
