Max, vice chairman of the board karen brooks hopkins, president joseph v. River of fundament is directly inspired by norman mailers egyptian novel ancient evenings, his infamous classic that chronicled the passage of a narrator through the stations of death and reincarnation. Taking the american landscape as its backdrop, the film river of fundament is an epic story. Matthew barneys river of fundament represents a radical desublimation of the obsession with sex and death. Norman mailer, ancient evenings 1983 matthew barneys river of fundament is a sprawling, ambitious interpretation of norman mailers chequered masterpiece, ancient evenings. This is a project that i worked on for over seven years, mostly shot in three locations. This may sound obvious, but it is precisely this aspect that allows us to understand what a river is and how it functions.
A film by matthew barney and jonathan bepler produced by matthew barney and laurenz foundation. Maggie gyllenhaal milks her breasts, paul giamatti pontificates on poop. River of fundament is a 2014 operatic experimental film written and directed by american artist. General information bam howard gilman opera house, bam rose cinemas, and bamcafe are located in the peter jay sharp building at 30 lafayette avenue between st felix street and ashland place in the fort greene neighborhood of brooklyn.
Mar 03, 2014 certainly, if you attend a screening river of fundament which has its uk premiere with english national opera in june principally for the narrative you may well find yourself casting your eyes. Matthew barneys river of fundament is a sprawling, ambitious interpretation of norman mailers chequered masterpiece, ancient evenings. River of fundament is presented worldwide on behalf of the artist by manchester international festival. In river of fundament, matthew barney contemplates. In collaboration with composer jonathan bepler, barney combines traditional modes of narrative cinema with filmed elements of performance, sculpture, and opera. Feb 18, 2014 maggie gyllenhaal milks her breasts, paul giamatti pontificates on poop. In collaboration with composer jonathan bepler, matthew barney combines traditional modes of narrative cinema with filmed elements of performance, sculpture, and opera inspired by norman mailers novel, ancient evenings, a hypersexual story of egyptian gods and the seven stages of reincarnation, alongside the rise and fall of the american car industry. Jul 31, 2014 pedro torres ciliberto bam river of fundament 1. River of fundament 2014 is one of barneys most challenging and ambitious projects to date, and his largest filmic undertaking since the renowned, fivepart cremaster film cycle 19942002. Matthew barneys new 6hour film pushes the limits of. It comprises a symphonic film by barney and jonathan bepler, an exhibition, and a selection of egyptian antiquities from monas own collection. Matthew barneys river of fundament is an epic, nearly sixhour film created over the course of seven years, in three major locations and involving hundreds of cast and crew.
River of fundament is new yorkbased artist matthew barneys latest feature film. Bam would like to thank the brooklyn delegations of the new york state assembly, joseph r. Cold fires wash behind his sightless eyes, as he prepares to leave norman mailer. Last month, artist matthew barney and composer jonathan beplers operatic 311 minute film river of fundament made its debut in new york. River of fundament is a surly, anguished work about the failures of sex, as well as being doomed to death.
Visionary artist matthew barney makes his bam debut with the world premiere screening of river of fundament, a radical reinvention of norman mailers novel ancient evenings. Official website for river of fundament, the 2014 operatic film by artist matthew barney and composer jonathan bepler, and related artwork by matthew. Pedro torres ciliberto bam river of fundament slideshare. In basing his new work, a threepart filmed opera called river of fundament, loosely on this novel, matthew barney surely knows hes inviting the same response.
I sat through two hours of matthew barneys river of fundament, a sixhour film and namesake of the exhibit currently on view at the geffen contemporary at moca in. Certainly, if you attend a screening river of fundament which has its uk premiere with english national opera in june principally for the narrative you may well find yourself casting your eyes. Brooklyn, peter jay sharp building 30 lafayette avenue map. River of fundament matthew barney matthew barney february 7, 2014 matthew barneys latest film was inspired by the mythology of ancient egypt as imagined by norman mailers historical novel. River of fundament is a travesty on many levels, but the worst part is that the tragedy of the film is the tragedy of detroit. River of fundament matthew barney the new york times. Riverhost to a funereal barge ferrying the mailer apartment setmanmade and natural arteries transport the protagonists on their journeys from death to rebirth. The director and creator of groundbreaking series the cremaster cycle is described by the daily telegraph as the visionary artist and filmmaker. A river is a course of water that originates in the mountains and flows downwards until it reaches the sea. Visionary artist matthew barney makes his bam debut with this world premiere film. The fiveandahalf hour epic film, shown in adelaide last weekend, had some commentators excoriating it. Contributors angus cook, jonathan bepler and shane anderson. Eric liftin mesh architectures mesh blog river of fundament. The fiveandahalf hour epic film, shown in adelaide last weekend, had some commentators excoriating it as filth.
It makes reference to norman mailers novel ancient evenings, set in egypt and involving the god osiris plus countless other themes and facets. River of fundament runs for five hours and fifty minutes with two planned intermissions, plays at the brooklyn academy of music from february 12th through the 16th, then heads to. Context is everything, so get even closer to the film with this curated selection of articles, videos, and original blog pieces related to the show. An ambitious story of regeneration and rebirth, the operatic film. Melillo, executive producer river of fundament a film by matthew barney and jonathan bepler produced by matthew barney and laurenz foundation bam. The project was conceived as a nontraditional opera with a series of onetimeonly live acts performed across the american landscape. Project 19 was born of the conviction that an orchestra can participate in. Matthew barney and jonathan beplers sixhour epic river of fundament screens at the bam harvey theater from february 1216. The film river of fundament combines documentation of these three live acts with scenes set in a reconstruction of norman. Musicality, in fact, plays a significant role in river of fundaments sense of anarchic freedom and its sense of shape. In 2020, the new york philharmonic introduces project 19 a multiseason initiative to commission and premiere 19 new works by 19 women composers the largest womenonly commissioning initiative in history. Although lauded at every turn by the emma goldmans of the day as feminist in a visionary way, ibsen insisted that noras struggle was simply another manifestation of the grand theme of his work of that period, which was the oppression of the individual by the strictures of. Set across the contemporary american landscape, the threepart river of. Kanye west keeps it cool and casual as he attends the world premiere of river of fundament held at the bam harvey theater on.
The river of fundament will be at bam on february 12 through february 16. Official website for river of fundament, the 2014 operatic film by artist matthew barney and composer jonathan bepler, and related artwork by matthew barney. River of fundament, the epic filmic work by matthew barney and jonathan bepler that makes its world premiere at the bam harvey theater this wednesday, is nearly six hours in length, including two intermissions. Wading in matthew barneys river of shit hyperallergic. The film features barney, dave bald eagle, milford graves, ellen burstyn, maggie. Set across the american landscape, the film river of fundament is an epic story of regeneration and rebirth. While most cinematic films have a broad theatrical release in multiple locations through normal distribution channels, some of the longest films are experimental in nature or created for art gallery installations, having never been simultaneously released to multiple screens or intended for mainstream audiences. Mesh architectures mesh blog river of fundament eric liftin. Bam to premiere matthew barneys new film, river of fundament. Part of 2014 winterspring season world premiere feb 1216 a film by matthew barney and jonathan bepler produced by matthew barney and laurenz foundation htt.
It is a kind of hybrid between documentary live performance and studio narrative film making. River of fundament continues the program barney has developed over the last seven. River of fundament is presented worldwide by manchester international festival. Set across the contemporary american landscape, the threepart river of fundament is an epic story of regeneration and rebirth. River of fundament operatic film in collaboration with matthew barney. It comprises a symphonic film by barney and jonathan bepler. His latest film, river of fundament, is an equally monumental achievement.
In a sequence of unique live performances, a series of massive sculptures, and, finally, a marathonlength opera in cinematic form, made with. Playbill for each 2014 screening of river of fundament, a film by matthew barney and jonathan bepler. And considered in formal and aesthetic terms, it is probably the artists best work. Remnants of the projects beginnings as an opera remain on screen, in dialogue delivered with an unorthodox singsong cadence.
The exhibition is as much a part of river of fundament as the film itself. World premiere, a film by matthew barney and jonathan bepler, bam harvey. River of fundament 2015 writer norman mailer reincarnates three times in three bodies by magically entering the womb of his wife. The film river of fundament combines documentation of these three live acts with scenes set in a reconstruction of norman mailers brownstone apartment in brooklyn heights. River of fundament, museum of old and new art mona. Bam education offers comprehensive study guides to the more than 220 schools that attend our live performances and film screenings every year we quizzed you on rime of the ancient mariner back in december. Jan 25, 2014 river of fundament saturday, january 25, 2014 at 4. It was produced by barney and the laurenz foundation and is loosely based on the 1983 novel ancient evenings by norman mailer. Feb 12, 2014 pages for an elaborate river of fundament catalog to be published this summer by rizzoli hang tacked up on the wall, along with images of art works to travel to an exhibition, opening in munich in march, of sculpture borne from the project. River of fundament 2014 directed by matthew barney. Feb 12, 2014 part of 2014 winterspring season world premiere feb 1216 a film by matthew barney and jonathan bepler produced by matthew barney and laurenz foundation htt.
Barney, in the role of the ka of norman in ancient egyptian theology, the ka is a portion of the soul, emerges, filthcovered, from a deep body of water and sewage. Mar 19, 2016 river of fundament is new yorkbased artist matthew barneys latest feature film. Lest you think thats long, here are some of bam s previous presentations that exceeded four hours the arbitrary definition of long. Please note that the june 5, part 1 screening originally scheduled for 2. I dont like to type film because barney isnt really a filmmaker, although virtually his entire output has been structured around films, most notably the cremaster series. It is basically an american opera that is epic in proportion. Bso munich, bam nyc within between collaboration with choreographer john. How do you approach inventive, multilayered art and make it legible to a younger audience. Maggie gyllenhaal milks her breasts, paul giamatti. An ambitious story of regeneration and rebirth, the operatic film is loosely based on the 1983 norman mailer novel ancient evenings, as an ancient egyptian protagonist seeks reincarnation in the hope of achieving immortality.
Loosely based on the 1983 norman mailer novel ancient evenings, with an ancient egyptian protagonist who sought reincarnation three times in the. Feb 17, 2014 in basing his new work, a threepart filmed opera called river of fundament, loosely on this novel, matthew barney surely knows hes inviting the same response. In its first moments, barney emerges from a stream of excrement that flows beneath norman mailers apartment. River of fundament is a 2014 operatic experimental film written and directed by american artist and filmmaker matthew barney, and codirected by longtime collaborator jonathan bepler. I was surprised to learn what great lengths ibsen went to deflect attention from a purely feminist reading of the play.
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