Simultaneously intimate and anonymous

[charleswood]

<p>The Ox, that video. It's Eric's portrayal of a lifetime. What strikes me about the video is that paradox between anonymity and identity. At the end of his narrative, Eric, by identifying himself, becomes anonymous, becomes indistinguishable from the rest of us, and the world is set to blossom by his anonymity. Is Eric "The Ox?" Or does that moniker refer to the Ox from a Zen tradition, the ten oxherding pictures of the Zen tradition?</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p><a href="http://www.innerworkjohnson.blogspot.com/2008/04/ten-oxherding-pictures.html">http://www.innerworkjohnson.blogspot.com/2008/04/ten-oxherding-pictures.html</a> which link doesn't identify the author as either Johnson or Ruhl:</p>

<p>"The ten oxherding pictures of the Zen tradition make a wonderful portrayal of a lifetime. In the first, the young man is looking for the ox. In the second, he finds the footprints of the ox. In the third, he sees the ox. In the fourth, he wrestles with the ox. In the fifth, he’s seated upon the ox. In the sixth, he’s riding off with the ox. The seventh is blank. That’s curious. You can make all kinds of things out of that. In the eighth, he’s returning the ox to the field. In the ninth, the ox is in the field and the man is walking away. In the tenth, which is possibly the most beautiful statement I’ve heard in my life, the man, now old, is utterly indistinguishable from anyone else as he walks through the village streets. No one notices him, but the trees all burst into blossom. This is the best definition of enlightenment I’ve found."</p>

</blockquote>

<p> </p>

[charleswood]

<p>And the most amazing paradox that the film maker suggests is that Eric, in building what he thought was to be his island world, was simultaneously building a bridge. And not just any bridge. A huge one. Not so Eric could leave his world; but so that the world, despite Eric's intention, would find a way to him. About that Eric says there are two good reasons to shower twice a day.</p>

[Norma Desmond]

<p>From Roni Horn herself, who probably approached her art in sometimes irrational ways but also wrote quite rationally about it. She seems to wear many hats.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>The narrative involves the recognition of uniqueness through the sequential experience of things which are identical. Then the subsequent and irreversible loss of the unique identity. <strong>Obviously the notion of being identical is a purely ideal one since when you have two things, no matter how perfect the identity, you always have a this and a that, a here and a there. In both pieces we’re talking about the critical role of relation in defining the form.</strong></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Might apply to intimacy as well.<strong><br /></strong></p>

<p>[by the way, my appreciation that I can understand Roni Horn's words about her art and appreciate that those words make sense to me doesn't lessen my appreciation for the very different kind of sense or non-sense the art itself expresses and/or communicates.]</p>

[Uhooru]

<p>Interesting topic... I think there's photographs of intimacy as demonstrated above and then there is photographs as a couple of said where the photographer captures, or creates an intimacy even with the anonymous. For instance I take a lot of photos of friends with whom I have longstanding familiarity and that familiarity gives me "standing" with them to then capture and create a very intimate. Of course physical and sexual intimacy is one powerful form of intimacy, but there can be a quality of intimacy that doesn't need to be that. To me intimate means very close personal. But also when I shoot candids on the street, I think I maybe unconsciously try to create a sense of that close personal with a (to me) anonymous person. This topic is cool, because I never could find suitable words for that process. Anyways, I like my photos to make a viewer feel as if they "are there" and I think that is a form of intimacy. But then, I'm not sure I'm always a fair judge of my photography:)</p>