Kuukausi: kesäkuu 2015

What makes an action movie masterpiece?

| Henna Timanttimetsä

It can be argued just as anything and is. As it is questionable for many is the genre of action movies in its variety an art form and can it even be talked about in critical academic context for example cultural influences of action movies, what is important, valuable, interesting and worthy of research and looking into. In a time of mass production of movies to rise cultural discourse about action movies may raise a question of what for, they all seem very much alike, work from an entertainment factory where muscles and fast cars are getting the most attention, use of power, fire arms and force of a solitude man interests a wide audience. The visual information in movies does have a massive role. What kind of impact, one can guess. To me action movies at their best represent an image of our time especially those movies which clearly pay attention to political conflicts, solving environmental and humanitarian catastrophes and showing way to the future. Interesting is the machinery behind blockbuster movies which seems paying attention to making the most profit and the contrast there can be between the world view of such movies as Alien and The Terminator and Hollywood, the plastic, entertaining Hollywood.

The true events in world history have been effectively used in many action films, true intentions, true motives which have caused wars and conflicts speculating the rest. My interest lies in the action where oppression, wrongdoings and ill intentions of politicians and business men are fought back and there are actual results: the bad guys lose and get punished accordingly. Maybe action movies reflect our hope for real action men and women who do instead of having speeches, to explain their success. Best of the genre in my opinion mix science fiction, future vision, pay attention to gender roles and today’s world ideological and economical mess, telling our future prospects if we do not wise up. Terminator 1 begins with a scene where cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger) emerges naked from the future to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) future mother of John Connor. At the same time to stop the plan of machines’ to assassin Sarah Connor Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) finds his way through a time machine to save Sarah.

To answer to the question what makes an action movie masterpiece is quite similar as what makes any movie a masterpiece, a classic, image of its time and mentality, morals, events, what it is to be human living this time and think what future will bring. Masterpieces are of course difficult to define as they are complex packed with meaning references and questions, also some answers. Visually and artistically masterpiece has to fill criteria of excellence, excellence that serves the story and philosophy of that movie pushing boundaries of what action film can be, what a movie can be and tell. It is faithful to the message, giving and telling something essential of our time and of us. As Terminator is very much a mainstream kind of series of movies, it is extraordinary in its preciseness and  visuals that strike to tell true kind of story.

Other reason why Terminator 1 and 2 and Alien movies interest me as works of art and important movies of our time is that the one who wants to save the world and works her ass off to do so is a woman. Romance is cut to the minimum or erased completely. There is only the mission to save something worth while and there is no other way, threat is so big and it is a nuclear war, destruction of mankind and AI having control and power. It is not obsessed, it is necessary to act and start to think our responsibility for saving life on earth. The meaning of these action-science fiction movies is not to bring on fire arms and show endless killing. They are to show what one person can do.

Pleasure of watching

| Henna Timanttimetsä
Art of pole dancing is an image of a sleazy questionable profession watched by questionable personalities of the underworld. Caricature of female body placed to be watched intensely all over and right there almost full-on. Art of seduction still in which one can succeed or fail. Movement with accessories that emphasize the sleaziness and cheapness of the craft. Fullness of woman’s body is put on in display in full flesh to be seen in positions that pole, shameless attitude and imagination offer. This is the old auntie writing who wonders why and seemingly disapproves as the dichotomy goes: there is light and then there the dark, something to be afraid of, something that we should not be influenced by or let society see, but it is there and it interests me as culture shaping pop up act, pop art, erotic and as such naughty. Naughtiness is essential part of the dance, to enjoy naughtiness, guilty pleasure, turn on by watching, to feel doing something forbidden. So those who disapprove have an important role as counter forces. Counter forces are not diminished nor shut down. Maybe there is a lesson for them, if they are willing to take it.
Women wearing little outfits on stage to please and create art, me thinking they please themselves as well as a professional dancers can and should. One should not do anything one does not enjoy doing. I take pleasure for watching videos of pole dancers who can be extremely gifted athletes and dancers as such, beautiful to look at and I am amazed by their work. Arousal for me is the beauty of female body and watching is thinking what is there the shameful act, whose shame are we talking about? Is the display of genital areas the shameful, seduction of strangers, a lot of them and woman alone on stage at risk to be hurt. Still arousal as sexual term does not apply for me but arousal of mind for what human body and especially female body can represent and means when it is on stage dancing bare.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/sex/11669108/Strip-club-dancers-brought-out-my-inner-sexist.html

How do we look at each other? What do we see and what are you looking at? All eyes on us or nobody noticed.

| Henna Timanttimetsä

It can be embarrassing to be stared at. Usually it is uncomfortable, because it feels threatening and something is wrong. Depending on who does the staring at you and from where the looking at comes, do we notice? Yes. But what are the things we notice and why? Mostly surface plays an important role for humans. We think with our eyes, which is rather problematic. To dig deeper and not jump to hasty conclusions is more than advised.

I do not look at people when I walk. Why would I when a look has so many meanings it is intolerable and an infuriating difficult dilemma to solve by any other way than with refusal to look like having blinds, keeping it to myself, showing no interest at all. To smile at people is an invitation and possibility is there to be hurt. To look at people in my case has a serious meaning, danger, or to look at anything for a long period of time is just seen weird. Would sunglasses solve this problem? Why would anybody just stare? What is the point other than there is nothing better to do? It is perhaps sign of idleness, craziness, unbalance, problematical that is somehow negative,  not open, unspoken but loud still a very open wide gesture and message, animal-like and stupid. Don’t animals stare before they attack? What does it say to a woman or to a girl when she is stared at on a street, in a cafe or bar: someone wants something of you or your clothes are strange, your hair is odd, you are out of the ordinary. Terrible are looks out from tables outside of a bar as are the noisy comments.

When I look intensely at someone or something I am interested in that person, thing or object I pay attention to, but how am I interested in the one I’m looking at? Do I want something? Yes, I think what kind of drawing would I make, a photograph or what is the context of something being in that particular place etc. What does a woman want when she takes a long gaze? Gaze is to me a sexual word. Gazes are not similar. There are so many ways to gaze and as many reasons. They mark desire firstly. People who are always wanting something. It is something funny as it is repetitious, disturbing, uncomfortable, rude and invasion of privacy, invasion of space and cause for anger. Some looks one can feel on one’s back send emotions and thoughts. Attention that can be sensed on one’s skin or one is so used to being looked at that stares are everywhere they begin to scare and make the world view rather peculiar.

But still we need to be looked at in a certain way, noticed, given compliments and greeted. With kind and civil interest and respect for the person. Some people enjoy the harassment kind of look, some find it horrible intrusion of ripping clothes off with the help of one’s stare. Muslims have solved the problem of being looked at with desire by veiling and hiding behind screens. Problem solved? What we cannot see, we can start guessing. Lustful gazes which cannot be self-regulated because those who stare do what they are supposed to do. This is the logic, I gather. There is not much prohibition for those who have eye for female beauty and will to take what they want. It is a question of honor of the woman and her family, her husband, honor of man as woman is to be looked at by her husband only. Muslim women are not allowed to look at other people while walking outside. It would not be good manners. http://productivemuslim.com/6-tips-to-help-lower-your-gaze/ They look to the ground or their eyes are completely covered by a burka minding their business. This is what I have myself learned to do as well. It is to protect my privacy and what I want is a secret. My look is under evaluation, my eye, meaningful, and it is mostly in negative way with meaning how a woman eyes on others. Linking to wanting something, lacking and being weak. http://www.islam-laws.com/articles/gaze.htm ”except you, I have never seen a man lower his gaze in front of a woman. In my life you are the first person who lowers his gaze when seeing a woman. I come, and you close your eyes.” Modesty a true virtue.

What does it mean when an artist looks at something as I do all the time see the roads, sides of roads, backyards etc? Can it by the way be told that one is an artist by appearance? I am looking at and looking for, looking and looking. Are you looking for the same reasons as I? Something is there to be found, all things are to be looked at and wondered. Why is there still the feminine weakness in the assumptions on why I look at, look back, do not look, turn my head away? Puzzle of a look. Female stereotypical characteristics are to be envious, hateful, bitter, suspicious and scared. Woman is here to be wanted, changed and be taken, taught, kept in leash, told not to but she wants it because she is weak, looking for someone to hold on to and step over or to be stepped over as she is dangerous in her negative emotions, she might? When women are seen in such negative light, stereotypical and one-sided, which is like a stain on a gender, how on earth such stigma got made? Do you think it’s true?

http://fusion.net/story/148054/theres-a-reason-some-people-hate-making-eye-contact/?cmpid=143222&hootPostID=04b0d7746b49051d4146c55b0ada6bd5”The results don’t necessarily move us closer to figuring out how people uncomfortable with eye contact can train themselves to feel better about holding someone’s gaze. Hiatenan points to some efforts to train people with autism to make eye contact as an imperfect solution.”

How to change situations of people for the better? Is it a question of who defines what is good to anybody without asking the people?

| Henna Timanttimetsä
How do you do a sexual revolution within a culture that in many places violently oppresses people especially women and children? Where one easily loses one’s life for objecting and confronting the regime, religious fundamentalists, media that is in short leash. Big money and absolute power that cannot be questioned and put under magnifying glass because this absolute power has God’s authority is doing an enormous amount of harm and damage. Authority that family institution, religion and men have is keeping countries from evolving wasting human resources. Leaning on traditions, bias, unjust power conventions and punishing practices, unjust definitely against girls and women who are denied schooling, careers, decision-making in politics, rights to their bodies and lives is everyday and obviously deadly prospect when doing and saying against. What is human life worth? Has somebody put a price on it?

Irony lies in the impressive and long history of Arab world which has been more tolerant that Christian world has shown to have been. Why such bigoted, short-sighted, oppressive culture that reigns in many Arab nations now is possible? Why ruling via violence and revenge is allowed? To kill and torture all those who stand against is lunacy and against any worth while conception of justice. Brutality is not work of anything holy.

How about an army of women?

We need a sexual revolution in the Middle East – video http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2015/jun/10/we-need-sexual-revolution-middle-east-arab-spring-failed-women-video?CMP=share_btn_tw

http://feministcurrent.com/12196/the-no-platforming-of-radical-feminists-a-talk-by-julie-bindel/(Men are quite unhappy under patriarchy often, as we’ve heard from pro-feminist men.)”

Special offer now

| Henna Timanttimetsä

Dinos for kids because we love them, we care about them, dinos and kids. We want to produce pedagogical commercial spaces for children. We love children. We just love children. Save the children.

Whenever you want to make your marketing idea warm the hearts and move forward invest in children.

Sure children are in need of lessons, but as it seems there are grown-ups who are in desperate need to be taught a lesson or two in terms of what is ethical, what is good to do and what not, once you do you cannot undo. Those who use children as shields, covers, as bates do not deserve any respect nor opportunities to make their businesses flourish.

What people say, say what they represent.

| Henna Timanttimetsä

Who is your source? Do you trust without hesitation to what is spoken and what kind of characteristics in a person make them best experts, trustworthy so much so that we can follow their advice, orders, requests, rants, example, teachings etc. because there are for everyone people who have authority as knowledgeable reliable people who have wisdom, to whom we believe speak the truth. Truth is an interesting idea to investigate. Do we have our own and to what extent it is ours? How capable are we thinking for ourselves, trusting what we know and feel is right instead of listening people who have been given authority to be listened to?

Money makes the world: http://fusion.net/story/148718/journalism-art-ethics/ ”You can get 10% for just about anything, in the art world. Call yourself an “art advisor”, and you can get galleries to give you 10% of the sale price of whatever they sell to your client. Call yourself a “curator”, and you can get 10% of the sales of any show that you put together, even if you’re not actually selling anything yourself. Or, just make an introduction! Auction houses have something called “introductory commission”, which just means that if you steer a seller to Sotheby’s, say, rather than Christie’s, then Sotheby’s will kick back to you a chunk of the sale price.”

Bodies online

Kuva | | Henna Timanttimetsä

Places of critique and how to.

| Henna Timanttimetsä
It all too clear that institutions, which some people think are themselves, as personification of power, monumental and solid, and broadly seen institutions as structural entities and complexes that have a massive amount of power within the fields they work, so easily place themselves above criticism. This is a road to regression where nothing changes until it is forced to change and usually it means heads rolling usually of those who give the vital criticism. There are too many people who hold on to gained positions thinking it is their right and theirs alone. That is one common form of dictatorship. The more up one climbs the more one has to be able to accept criticism and answer to it, be accountable. As it is so that people do not climb the stairs up without help of friends there is a danger of cocooning into the power tower as perfect and untouchable with skills and intellect which others can dream of.
This topic touches many areas of life, science and art are the ones that are difficult to criticise because the nature of those fields embraces cult of geniuses who know the absolute right, who have expertise that most people do not have. Personality cults are therefore dangerous what comes to integrity, trustworthiness, progress and finding new. Self-love that is more interested in being right all the time rejecting the balancing effect of critique is very harmful.
Place of critique is always when one suspects foul play, dishonesty, disrespect, playing to get the most profit and glory, when the field of work is in many ways corrupt holding too much on to the same old same old without even wanting to change the tone and tune.
”Tim Hunt criticised female scientists because they “always cry” when criticised. While this would be somewhat disruptive if true (which it isn’t), this is still a far less problematic response than holding an intense lifelong grudge against someone who criticised you, and doing your best to make their life difficult and miserable.” http://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2015/jun/10/tim-hunt-old-men-women-controversy-science?CMP=twt_gu&CMP=twt_gu

 

Size of art: The things you can tell by choosing size. Playing with size is to play with our eyes, perception, attention and ways we are used to looking at things.

| Henna Timanttimetsä

Importance of art, what is important art, where lies the interest when we look at art depending on what are we measuring when we measure art, what we look for, why art is there to be measured. We measure the price, fame, skill, connections, where the artist is based at and so forth. Why all the measuring and paying attention to surface is so important especially in art, or is it just the problem of this branch only? Obviously not. Seek to impress and making it get desperate when competition is heavy. Is it the social side behind desire and lust for grandiose there to be understood? Is it just pure greed and need for power? Art has to be placed or left out as are artists in or out? Question of size of art and what gets attention is always interesting. As an artist as I write about attention can mean it is I who wants attention. There is always the self-interest, suspicion, egoism which are attached to art, social aspects of doing the whole of art, business, publicity and talking about art. Big possibilities lure spineless crooks who wish to make the best profit there is possible to make.

Someone who seeks to be talked about, is that an artist? As an artist I seek that my work is talked about not me. When my exhibition is photographed do not take photos of me but of my work. I do not seek a personality cult by being an artist but rather have something to say than posing in a picture. This has been very difficult to grasp for many. Though at the moment I find internet art much more interesting to do and explore for many reasons. It lacks the stereotypes, assumptions and conventions of traditions of  fine art. I find that appealing, refreshing and new.

Same size problematics goes with architecture, thinking the bigger equals the better. The better and something good in the world of today is matter of magnitude, impact, conspicuousness, ability to make stature that impresses. To be impressed in an instant, to get an awe, be taken one’s breath away by something that has required skill to achieve is a goal by which art in traditional sense is seen and meaning of making art is to prove skill, professional and trustworthy, valuable in a world where machinery, factories, technical thinking prevail over everything as true signs of intellect, human abilities and are seen as male. Big size as a masculine feature is an all covering giant with its shadow to impress conquering attention and to win is like winning in sports. It is not unusual to own and aggressively protect that tradition in art by diminishing countering opinions. Dominance is the only way to do things in this kind of mental atmosphere. Anything small is pathetic and cute, seen as to be won, big is self-evidently good and acceptable, heavy and solid. What a horrible weakness that is to all of art and artists to seek massiveness in every way. It is to diminish and kill anything else which everything else would mean variety of points of views and ways of making.