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 is a travesty on many levels, but the worst part is that the tragedy of the film is the tragedy of detroit. Presented in its world premiere as part of the 2014 bam winterspring season, river of fundament, the latest work by world renowned artist matthew barney in collaboration with composer jonathan bepler the cremaster cycle, is a fivehour epic film which radically reinvents norman mailer s 1983 novel ancient evenings. Wading in matthew barneys river of shit hyperallergic. Last month, artist matthew barney and composer jonathan beplers operatic 311minute film river of fundament made its debut in new york. Into this framework renoir finds the perfect expression for his lyrical humanism around the central metaphor of the constantly flowing water. Matthew barneys river of fundament based on a norman mailer epic of life, death, sex and violence in ancient egypt, is not to be missed.
The home for adventurous artists, audiences, and ideas. The book river is the way into the entrance of the pac system for most libraries. The fiveandahalf hour epic film, shown in adelaide last weekend, had some commentators excoriating it as filth. River of fundament, the longawaited, sixhour film event by artist matthew barney and composer jonathan bepler debuting february 12 at the brooklyn academy of music bam harvey theater, is an epic of reincarnation and rebirth set against the rusting backdrops of american industry. In river of fundament, matthew barney contemplates. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. This is a thoughtprovoking and wildly compelling book of magical realism, exploring colonialism, and exploitation of indigenous people by the first world. As the author is an awardwinning writer and performer of contemporary christian music and enjoys a solid base of evangelical devotees. Bam brooklyn academy of music is americas oldest performing arts center, located in fort greene, b.
Matthew barneys new epic is a mythomaniacal mailerhemingway. Even a striking conceitmailers brooklyn heights apartment, now. Matthew barney and jonathan beplers sixhour epic river of fundament screens at the bam harvey theater from february 1216. Barney has repositioned the books violent, highly spiritual portrayal of the. This is a project that i worked on for over seven years, mostly shot in three locations. Matthew barneys new 6hour film pushes the limits of. For adult readers, which i am, i must give it three. In barneys river of fundament, norman is recast in the role of the protagonist. 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.
Jul 31, 2014 pedro torres ciliberto bam river of fundament 1. It makes reference to norman mailers novel ancient evenings, set in egypt and involving the god osiris plus countless other themes and facets. Norman mailer, ancient evenings 1983 matthew barneys river of fundament is a sprawling. 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. For those who enjoy this book, the authors sequel will be along shortly. Where the kindly ones is an exuberant historical novel, a 992page behemoth of rape, incest, and murder, the fata morgana books is a spare, 184page collection of four short novellas, comparatively light. Cold fires wash behind his sightless eyes, as he prepares to leave norman mailer. The exhibition is as much a part of river of fundament as the film itself.
Context is everything, so get even closer to the film with this curated. Matthew barney, river of fundament still 2014, courtesy bam. River of fundament matthew barney the new york times. Matthew barney and jonathan bepler river of fundament at. Visionary artist matthew barney makes his bam debut with the world premiere screening ofriver of fundament, a radical reinvention of norman mailers novel. In order to transform, you have to pass back through that river, the fundament. By the last third of river of fundament, more has been thrown at the audience than it can reasonably manage to absorb. River of fundament is an epic story of regeneration and rebirth, set in three major american citieslos angeles, detroit, and new york. There are two different views of the book river which are described below. 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.
The project was conceived as a nontraditional opera with a series of onetimeonly live acts performed across the american landscape. The film river of fundament combines documentation of these three. The river and the book is the new youth literature work from australia author alison croggon. River of fundament is presented worldwide by manchester international festival. Visionary artist matthew barney makes his bam debut with the world premiere screening of river of fundament, a radical reinvention of norman mailer s novel ancient evenings. River of fundament page 2 of 5 conceived as a nontraditional opera written in collaboration with composer jonathan bepler, the film combines. In his third and final attempt to transform, menenhetet iii becomes stuck in the womb, failing to reincarnate. Free shipping and more for millionaires club members. River of fundament 2014 is one of barneys most challenging and ambitious projects to date, and his. Playbill for each 2014 screening of river of fundament, a film by matthew barney and jonathan bepler. 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. Regardless, as a childrens book, the river is a five star.
It is because i had to swim the river of faeces and succeeded in crossing only at a great price. Matthew barney and edward burtynsky are two contemporary artists not typically discussed in the same sentence. In collaboration with composer jonathan bepler, barney combines traditional modes of narrative cinema with filmed elements of performance, sculpture, and opera. Hard to find help and when you do theyll tell you where the book is but they dont walk you to where it is and help you find it. 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. As the author is an awardwinning writer and performer of contemporary christian music and enjoys a solid base of evangelical devotees, his books should do well. Foursquare uses cookies to provide you with an optimal experience, to personalize ads that you may see, and to help advertisers measure the results of their ad campaigns.
This is a thoughtprovoking and wildly compelling book of magical realism, exploring colonialism, and. On the occasion of a major exhibition, performance, and film premiere, this book considers matthew. It is basically an american opera that is epic in proportion. It comprises a symphonic film by barney and jonathan bepler, an exhibition, and a selection of egyptian antiquities from monas own collection. Bodily functions are interchangeable with the primordial ooze of the earth. A list of available options from this book river view follows, shown in the example above. Last thursday night, bam celebrated the monthlong run of king lear and the 2014 winterspring season with a feast fit for a kingeven a mad one. Loosely based on norman mailer s 1983 novel ancient evenings, the film follows the death and reincarnation of two principal characters, who. Its a book william burroughs admired, though few other readers did it. 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. Book jackets appear to be stationary and slide a group of titles at a time. It was produced by barney and the laurenz foundation and is loosely based on the 1983 novel ancient evenings by norman mailer. The greatest of renoirs lateperiod films, the river takes its story from rumer goddens book about two children growing up in india in the waning years of british colonialism.
Set across the american landscape, the film river of fundament is an epic story. 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. In collaboration with composer jonathan bepler, barney combines traditional modes of narrative cinema with filmed elements of performance, sculpture, and opera, reconstructing mailers hypersexual story of egyptian gods and the seven stages of reincarnation, alongside the rise and fall of the american car industry. Loosely based on norman mailers 1983 novel ancient evenings, the film follows the death and reincarnation of two principal characters, who take the form of. Rivers lend themselves to stories, and stories lend themselves to books. Bam brooklyn academy of music is a multiarts center located in brooklyn, new york. In the river, the debut novel by michael neale, it is a river in a colorado canyon that defines not just one man, but three generations of men. Mar 03, 2014 it is because i had to swim the river of faeces and succeeded in crossing only at a great price. It is a kind of hybrid between documentary live performance and studio narrative film making. 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.
Set across the american landscape, the film river of fundament is an epic story of regeneration and rebirth. Following the world premiere at bam, river of fundament will. In an interview, barney explains his attraction to this image and its associations. The river and the book by alison croggon goodreads. The way the novel transposes the body and the landscape is one thing that attracted me to it. Artist matthew barneys latest film premieres at bam departures. 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. River of fundament 01 by enwezor, okwui, bhabha, homi k. Matthew barneys river of fundament is a sprawling, ambitious interpretation of norman mailers chequered masterpiece, ancient evenings. 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. Jul 15, 2014 among river of fundaments principal metaphors is the river of feces, an underground channel filled with thick brown sludge, the essential passageway from one life into the next.
You may have seen matthew barneys film river of fundament at bam, where it premiered in february 2014, or elsewhere hint. 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. New york the world premiere of matthew barney and jonathan. He loved that book, says john buffalo mailer, the writers son, who plays one of three incarnations of his father in river of fundament. Brooklyn, peter jay sharp building 30 lafayette avenue map. River of fundament, the longawaited, sixhour film event by artist matthew barney and composer jonathan bepler debuting february 12 at the brooklyn academy of music bam harvey theater, is an. We believe in the ability of boys to be healthy, happy individuals who are. For more than 150 years, bam has been the home for adventurous artists, audiences, and ideasengaging both global and local communities. Last month, artist matthew barney and composer jonathan beplers. Max, vice chairman of the board karen brooks hopkins, president joseph v. Visionary artist matthew barney makes his bam debut with this world premiere film. Matthew barneys new epic is a mythomaniacal mailer. 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.
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