MovieChat Forums > Drawing Restraint 9 (2006) Discussion > how does this relate to the drawing rest...

how does this relate to the drawing restraint series?

posted 16 years ago by jarsilver1
2 replies | jump to latest

first of all, I want to say that I think you can enjoy or appreciate this kind of film without a comprehensive understanding of the artist's intent. to what barney intended everything to "mean" or what the significance of his directorial decisions were, we can only approximate. however, we can also gain something from the aesthetic and emotional response we get from perceiving the images on screen the way they are and through observation and analysis.

what I want to know is, what does this film have to do with the theme of the drawing restraint series? I have only fleeting knowledge of barney's work, but I've gathered that this series of works is about "facilities designed to defeat the facility of drawing." I can see some instances of self-restraint or self-imposed limitations, but I don't really get how everything in the film is supposed to relate to this.

[–] aaroncameron2 16 years ago

The film builds on Barney's concepts of self-imposed restraint as seen through the past DR series. He begins with a concept, a condition of restraint, then creates sculptures to talk about the condition. The film is just building on the sculptural discussion of the ways in which self-imposed restriction and restraint can be utilised to create something beautiful and meaningful.

Also, the theme of whaling can be seen as a form of self-imposed restraint insofar as whale oil is no longer a primary source of fuel (as it once was). Whaling is no longer a need, rather a self-imposed condition. The primary source is now oil - petroleum. Can you see the themes of vaseline (petroleum jelly), the oil tanker that fills the field symbol etc etc.

And the other uses of vaseline, in a sporting context, hark back to the concept of restraint in sport; sport as a form of self-imposed restraint itself, and the previous sport related scupltures in DR series - vaseline sporting equipment scupltures, the apparatuses constructed in DR performances etc.

Hope this helps :)

[–] jarsilver1 16 years ago

hmm... interesting, thanks!