This week. Watched a screening of Matthew Barney's Cremaster 2 & Cremaster 3, back-to-back, totalling five hours. So that was a complete mindfuck. Crem 2 was easier to watch for me, as it had a narrative about Gary Gilmore the murderer and Harry Houdini who was supposedly his ancestor. There was even dialogue. Norman Mailer, who wrote the biography of Gary Gilmore, played the part of Houdini, wrapping the the film up nicely at the end. The soundtrack is subliminal, in keeping with the theme of transcendence in the movie.

Crem 3 was a whopper, clocking in at more than three hours. It's about the Architect (played by sculptor Richard Serra) being undermined by the Entered Apprentice (played by Barney himself). It takes place at the iconic Chrysler Building, undoubtedly a symbol of masculine accomplishment ('cremaster' is the name of the muscle that contracts one's testicles) and order. Towards the end one got the feeling of a showdown. Personally, I found it the whole movie to be all about abjection and meaningless activity. The characters performed utterly precise and elaborate rituals. Someone else said it was about transcending from the abject. It had some comical moments, too, like the incongruous heavy metal band rival screamfest. Not to mention the 'Order' sequence with nude women parading around a straight-faced Richard Serra. (I wonder how he takes to self-parody.)

Funny how the film almost felt like torture to watch and at the same time was absolutely arresting and mesmerising. It was an enriching experience, not only because one can unpick all the 'hidden meanings' afterward, but also because of the sheer richness of the film's imagery. I can't believe it all came out of a single person's head. I hope to catch the other three films from this Cremaster Cycle. I hear the DVD's out, by the way, with all five Cremasters on it, plus a director's comment. I don't have a DVD player, though.

Last week. Saw Germaine Greer in person! She gave a public lecture that was so moving. It was about Australia, the Aborigines, racism and environmental destruction in Oz. She says she refuses to go back to Australia until she feels that it is her home, i.e until Australia truly becomes an Aboriginal republic/country. Her idea is that Australians are suffering because the white man is treating Aborigines as a 'problem to be solved'. Whereas it is in fact the white man who is the problem. Read more here and this fantastic interview with Greer here.

I was not so much moved by what she said as by how she said it. Her whole body speaks when she speaks. When she emphasizes a point, her shoulders curl forward. She is completely at ease, charming and charismatic onstage.

I'm going to disappear for a while, as it's that time of year again: end-of-year presentations. I sort of know what I'm going to show. I've booked a little enclosed room to show my work in, so that will be fun to do. Til my next journal entry! g