The Garden in the Machine: A Field Guide to Independent Films about Place.Scott MacDonald
Scott Macdonald was a member of the Canadian band The Spoons, from the mid 80's to the early 90's and a few reunion concerts in the late 90's and early 2000's. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press "UC Press" redirects here, but this is also an abbreviation for University of Chicago Press University of California Press, also known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. , 2001 Scott MacDonald has released The Garden in the Machine, a highly anticipated book on landscape and sense of place in independent film. In his ongoing series of conversations with filmmakers, MacDonald displays an attention to detail that few--that is, the few that regularly write about avant-garde film--can match. MacDonald's powerful descriptions have always enriched the films, encouraging clear-eyed, sharp-minded observation in subsequent viewings or discussions. In Garden in the Machine, he expands his project beyond the usual interview format and intelligent shot-by-shot breakdown. Incorporating art history, American studies and environmental writing, the book breaks new ground for the marginal world of avant-garde film. The book takes its title from Leo Leo, in astronomy Leo [Lat.,=the lion], northern constellation lying S of Ursa Major and on the ecliptic (apparent path of the sun through the heavens) between Cancer and Virgo; it is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Marx's influential The Machine in the Garden (1964) an examination of the pastoral in American literature American literature, literature in English produced in what is now the United States of America. Colonial Literature American writing began with the work of English adventurers and colonists in the New World chiefly for the benefit of readers in . However, the reversal of nouns in the two books' titles is not as simple as one might think. Marx relies on an unfortunate distinction to make a case for the value of the pastoral. In his account, mass culture proffers nostalgic yet utopian escape fantasies, while high literature explores a version of the pastoral that is knowing, self-conscious and transcendent. Marx suggests that the value of the latter approach lies in metaphor, a conceptual complex that allows for profound consideration of landscape, place and history. We are already inundated in·un·date tr.v. in·un·dat·ed, in·un·dat·ing, in·un·dates 1. To cover with water, especially floodwaters. 2. with critical distinctions drawn between high and low (and I leave it to the reader to settle on the conceptual value of metaphor), yet it is precisely these issues that emerge again and again in MacDonald's book, albeit in forms variously implicit or habitual Regular or customary; usual. A habitual drunkard, for example, is an individual who regularly becomes intoxicated as opposed to a person who drinks infrequently. . If anything, The Garden in the Machine would benefit from a deeper exploration of its theoretical roots in Marx's original tract on the pastoral in a mechanical world. For example, MacDonald frequently positions avant-garde film against the commercial mainstream without an evaluation of this categorical That which is unqualified or unconditional. A categorical imperative is a rule, command, or moral obligation that is absolutely and universally binding. Categorical is also used to describe programs limited to or designed for certain classes of people. habit. While it is true that independent film pales in comparison to industrial cinema's box office receipts and scholarly attention, I'm not convinced that such an oppositional definition yields the most interesting readings of the films at hand. More importantly, it does nothing to advance a theory of how experimental film may be particularly suited to convey a sense of place. The book weighs all too heavily on the garden metaphor, allowing too many independent filmmakers to become admirable ad·mi·ra·ble adj. Deserving admiration. ad  mi·ra·ble·ness n.ad ecologists by virtue of practicing small-scale, personal cinema. When MacDonald does integrate art history or environmental literature, as he does quite brilliantly in a chapter on Thomas Cole Not to be confused with Thomas Cole, a New Zealand mayor or Tom Cole, the Oklahoma representative. Thomas Cole (February 1, 1801 - February 11, 1848) was a nineteenth century American artist; he is regarded as the founder of the Hudson River School, an American art movement and Larry Gottheim, the book is genuinely exciting. I suspect that many of us have been waiting for a work that expands our understanding of avantgarde film's place in the world. The Garden in the Machine is a fruitful beginning, Let's hope that others follow his lead and take him up on theoretical challenges. As this book demonstrates with great conviction, the field of avantgarde film can only benefit from more writing, and there is much more writing to be done. EXHIBITION CATALOGS Lines of Sight: Views of the U.S./Mexican Border edited by Karen Rapp. Sweeney Art Gallery (UC Riverside)/24 pp./price unavailable (sb). Projects 75: Laylah All by Kristin Helmick-Brunet. The Museum of Modern Art/18pp./price unavailable (sb). SMTWTFS SMTWTFS Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday by Marco Breuer. Roth Horowitz/116 pp./$50.00 (sb). |
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