Simon Tarr Response

still from Giri Chit
Simon Tarr's lecture was small and intimate. It was great for understanding what he did for each project. His work, Tia Mak was quite the highlight of the lecture. Tarr mixes videos as a DJ would for a party. It was the first time I've ever seen a mix of videos. Tarr said that as he was mixing Nanook of the North he noticed that there were scenes that were supposed to be weeks in between each one but the patches of snow were the same. He placed them together and overlayed these shots that were at the same time, and created the same scene with multiple things going on at once. It really reminded me of the 4th dimension. The fact that if the 4th dimension didn't exist we would run into our past selves in the places that we had already been. Our time and place wouldn't carry over. That is what I immediately saw with the overlaying of the figures in Tarr's piece Tia Mak.
One of Tarr's quotes that really resonated with me: "This is my most successful piece... Probably because its my best work... I only like it because it reminds me of being in Japan." I love this. Giri Chit was a wonderful view of Japan. I've never been there but I feel like if I went I would be drawn to the images that Tarr captured. His silent observations of everyday Japanese people was honest to me. It wasn't really being critical of a people he isn't a part of. It was just presenting the culture the way that he saw it. I was just so shocked and refreshed when he was talking about his success from this piece and his only real motivation for making it was just because he liked Japan. He just liked the piece the most because it reminds him of a place. I think that getting too attached to the idea and concept of your work can make unsuccessful. He also said that he doesn't know everything when he goes into making work. This idea of keeping your work loose is great. It just helps you be guided to places you didn't think you would go with your work.