A peculiar and rather difficult year has come to an end and I expect a lot of you will be compiling lists of resolutions we so enthusiastically make and easily forget; so I thought I would share an unusual story and some odd and possibly inspirational maxims by 2 very talented artists.
2016: NO LYING, NO BITING
Ladies first, so lets begin by this brief story by one of my favorite tortured souls, Ms Sophie Calle
PS: For all the beautiful people living in or visiting Brussels one of her installations is on display at BOZAR for the Imagine Istanbul exhibition.
“I met him in a bar in December 1989. I was in New York for a couple of days. He offered to let me stay in his apartment and I accepted. He gave me the address, handed me the keys and disappeared. I spent the night alone in his bed. The only thing I learned about him came from a piece of paper that I found under a cigarette box. It said: “Resolutions for the New Year; no lying, no biting.” Later, I called him from Paris to thank him. We decided to meet and made a date for January 20th, 1990, Orly airport, 9:00 a.m. He never arrived, never called and did not answer his phone. On January 10th, 1991 at 7:00 p.m., I received the following call: “It’s Greg Shephard, I am at Orly airport, one year late. Would you like to see me?” This man knew how to talk to me.”
The Resolution
© Sophie Calle
© Sophie Calle
And now for the fun part, on the back cover of the recent book "Werner Herzog—A Guide for the Perplexed" by Paul Cronin, are 24 maxims by the German director, find your golden rule!
1. Always take the initiative.
2. There is nothing wrong with spending a night in jail if it means getting the shot you need.
3. Send out all your dogs and one might return with prey.
4. Never wallow in your troubles; despair must be kept private and brief.
5. Learn to live with your mistakes.
6. Expand your knowledge and understanding of music and literature, old and modern.
7. That roll of unexposed celluloid you have in your hand might be the last in existence, so do something impressive with it.
8. There is never an excuse not to finish a film.
9. Carry bolt cutters everywhere.
10. Thwart institutional cowardice.
11. Ask for forgiveness, not permission.
12. Take your fate into your own hands.
13. Learn to read the inner essence of a landscape.
14. Ignite the fire within and explore unknown territory.
15. Walk straight ahead, never detour.
16. Manoeuvre and mislead, but always deliver.
17. Don’t be fearful of rejection.
18. Develop your own voice.
19. Day one is the point of no return.
20. A badge of honor is to fail a film theory class.
21. Chance is the lifeblood of cinema.
22. Guerrilla tactics are best.
23. Take revenge if need be.
24. Get used to the bear behind you.
2. There is nothing wrong with spending a night in jail if it means getting the shot you need.
3. Send out all your dogs and one might return with prey.
4. Never wallow in your troubles; despair must be kept private and brief.
5. Learn to live with your mistakes.
6. Expand your knowledge and understanding of music and literature, old and modern.
7. That roll of unexposed celluloid you have in your hand might be the last in existence, so do something impressive with it.
8. There is never an excuse not to finish a film.
9. Carry bolt cutters everywhere.
10. Thwart institutional cowardice.
11. Ask for forgiveness, not permission.
12. Take your fate into your own hands.
13. Learn to read the inner essence of a landscape.
14. Ignite the fire within and explore unknown territory.
15. Walk straight ahead, never detour.
16. Manoeuvre and mislead, but always deliver.
17. Don’t be fearful of rejection.
18. Develop your own voice.
19. Day one is the point of no return.
20. A badge of honor is to fail a film theory class.
21. Chance is the lifeblood of cinema.
22. Guerrilla tactics are best.
23. Take revenge if need be.
24. Get used to the bear behind you.
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