William Kentridge Interview: How We Make Sense of the World
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- Опубліковано 19 чер 2024
- "There is a desperation in al certainty. The category of political uncertainty, philosophical uncertainty, uncertainty of images is much closer to how the world is", says South African artist William Kentridge in this video presenting his work.
"The films come out of a need to make an image, an impulse to make a film, and the meaning emerges over the months of the making of the film. The only meaning they have in advance is the need for the film to exist".
William Kentridge (b. 1955) is South Africa's most important contemporary artist, best known for his prints, drawings and animated films. In this video he presents his work, his way of working and his philosophy.
He tells the story of how he failed to be an artist:
"I failed at painting, I failed at acting, I failed at film making, so I discovered at the age of 30 I was back making drawings". It was not until he told himself he was an artist with all he wanted to included in the term - that he felt he was on the right track. "It took me a long time to unlearn the advice I had been giving. For for me the only hope was the cross fertilization between the different medias and genres."
William Kentridge talks about the origin of his animated films with drawing in front of the camera. "I was interested in seeing how a drawing would come into being". "It was from the charcoal drawing that the process of animation expanded". With charcoal "you can change a drawing as quickly as you can think".
"I am interested in showing the process of thinking. The way that one constructs a film out of these fragments that one reinterprets retrospectively - and changes the time of - is my sense of how we make sense of the world. And so the animated films can be a demonstration of how we make sense of the world rather than an instruction about what the world means."
"Uncertainty is an essential category. As soon as one gets certain their voice gets louder, more authoritarian and authoritative and to defend themselves they will bring an army and guns to stand next to them to hold. There is a desperation in al certainty. The category of political uncertainty, philosophical uncertainty, uncertainty of images is much closer to how the world is. That is also related to provisionality, to the fact that you can see the world as a series of facts or photographs or you can see it as a process of unfolding. Where the same thing in a different context has a very different meaning or very different form."
"I learned much more from the theatre school in Paris, Jacques Lecoq, a school of movement and mime, than I ever did from the art lessons. It is about understanding the way of thinking through the body. Making art is a practical activity. It is not sitting at a computer. It is embodying an idea in a physical material, paper, charcoal, steal, wood."
William Kentridge will work on a piece not knowing if it will come out as a dead end or a pice of art, giving it the benefit of the doubt, not judging it in advance, he says.
The artist has been compared to Buster Keaton and Gerorge Méliès. He mentions Hogarth, Francis Bacon, Manet, Philip Guston, Picasso, the Dadaists, Samuel Beckett and Mayakovski as inspirations.
"I am considered a political artist by some people and as a non-political artist by other political artists. I am interested in the politics of certainty and the demagoguery of certainty and the fragility of making sense of the world", William Kentridge states.
This video shows different excerpts from the work: 'The Journey to the Moon' (2003), 'The Refusal of Time' (2012) 'What Will Come (has already come)' (2007).
William Kentridge was interviewed by Christian Lund at the Deutsche Staatstheater in Hamburg in January 2014 in connection with the performance of the stage version of 'The Refusal of Time', called 'Refuse The Hour'.
Cameras: Nikolaj Jungersen
Edit: Kamilla Bruus
Produced by Christian Lund
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2014. - Фільми й анімація
This is what A.I. generated art is deprived of; a soul, an intellect, a sensibility and sensitivity, a curiosity. Art today unfortunately has a certainty to it, rather than leaving room for the mind to imaginatively fill in the blanks. It's all about prestige and profit. This man is a treasure, I hope more documentaries will continue to be made like him.
So mind-boggling how creative he is. Great interview and insight into Kentridge.
Very honest ,articulate and insightful
hard to believe there are only 7 comments. what a beautiful guide to the inner world of a talented , unique artist. Thank you Lou Channel.
Amazing and solid work.
He's resisted what the late Jacques Barzun called "The gangrene of specialisation" - We need more like him !
I love how I can connect to this man: 30 without real work experience. Just keep making stuff, if it's broken, you might fix it, or just spent the same time making something else which does work :)
William Kentridge is a genius
one my biggest idols, thankyou so much
One of Best artists ever!
His work is coming to the Milwaukee Art Museum June-August 2018. I can not wait. So excited. I love the fact that he works with black charcoal but wears a white shirt. I once saw a movie of Francis Bacon and he was painting in a suit despite the fact the floor had a foot of garbage. The mind is a mysterious thing.
A very nice man telling us what we all know, fortunately making fabulous work.
He is Amazing. I've really enjoyed watching his journey .
Now his works are in National Gallery in Seoul, Korea. so impressive.
There was a great exhibition of his work at the Whitechapel Gallery in London a few years ago - his work is brilliant, particularly love his animations 😃
Admiration!!!!!amazing work!
love his animation works.
Great interview, very revealing.
This is amazing. Would love to interview William
this is fantastic.
"I think a central category is recognition. And for that to operate you need to have an open field. If you have a very set plan of where you have to walk, where the drawing is going, it makes it much harder to allow yourself to also see what's arriving by chance through fortune at the edges. And I think that's this very important category - both theoretically but also in terms of strategy. How does one work in the studio to enable his best to flower? And one of the ways is not to have a script or a storyboard or a clear plan; to not know the answer and to hang on to as long as possible that provisionality and uncertainty."
Greta...
Quintessential observation of wonder at work... Fluency of thought openly taking a form in a Gestalt of action, leaving a mark virtually unseen prior, indelible but palpable to discernment. Inspirational comment, Artist and video. Thanks ALL ❄️
Excelente.
beautiful drawings.
hail to uncertainty...insightful man.
I love it
What's the music that plays in the beginning?
" Do not try to adjust your T.V. set " ;) It's only your mind that has expanded, channel yourself wisely.
25:45 In this section he mostly states the obvious, and I disagree that all is personal, subjective. Reality in itself is objective, and art can also be another way to explore that which exists beyong our individual perception.
I think it’s interesting what he’s able to get away with in terms of production quality in relation to more commercial work. Is the philosophy really so thorough? Could he art direct this illustrative work? Or is the work non-illustrative? If non-illustrative, back to my first question. Maybe I’m having a hard time accepting a folk artist who is still alive.
Maybe the process and the concept are more important than the finish…
Somewhere Man Ray smiles...
If you listen to what he says, he answers your question. ‘Finished’ artwork closes off the stuff that arrives by chance.
If you like William, the you will also like SUN XUN. check out his artwork too👍👍
I agree. How sad, there are only a handful comments so far. Here, one of the last geniuses of our time, whereas the rest, the brain dead, huddle at instagram.
You can see a film of William Kentridge's exhibition in London at the Marian Goodman Gallery on The Art Channel here: ua-cam.com/video/Ljd1IuXyu_0/v-deo.html
Follow the link(s)
This is not just the average word sausage for the masses 🕳️
ONLY PHENOMENAL
13:30
9
wsh mais elle est claqué la vidéo sah