Andrea Ward - Intro and Video Comment

    My name is Andrea and I'm a freshman BFA dance major. I'm nineteen years old and I'm from Sarasota. I started dancing and choreographing when I was eight years old. I started playing guitar and writing music when I was fourteen. I started into film when I was sixteen. I took history of film and film production in my junior year of high school, and when I transferred to State College of Florida in my senior year, I took another productions course paired with a study of classic American Directors. I've had to film documentaries, short narratives, and music videos, but never have I experimented with projection design. I'm really looking forward to this class. I believe that it's going to be one of my favorites. If anyone would like to check out my film projects from my youtube page, here's a link.

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQpUHJbcHYkDA7Q5ChSoKeA/videos?sort=dd&view=1&flow=grid&live_view=500

    After some research, I believe that Dante's Quartet was based on the epic poem, Divine Comedy, written by the Italian poet, Dante Alighieri, in the 1300s.
    In the first scene, we witness Brakhage's interpretation of hell itself, in which we observe images that aren't really identifiable. That speaks for itself.
    In the second scene, we see 'hell split flexion'. Dante's Divine Comedy was a depiction of the soul's journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven, ultimately seeking God. Thus, 'hell split flexion' could imply the time in which one's soul transitions (or splits and bends, i.e. flexion) into purgatory. We watch as the frame shrinks and displays imagery that is more identifiable. For instance, there are a few pauses in which there is nothing but one small speck of light. Perhaps this symbolizes the action of the soul recognizing its sins and transitioning away from them into the next step toward God.
    In the third scene, we see 'purgation'. I may be crazy but I'm pretty sure that I see the shape of a figure directly in the center of the frame; could be human, could be something else. There's a pause of darkness. Then, there's definitely a woman lifting her arms up in front of us at 3:04. Also, something that I find very interesting is that at 3:25, the colors fade from us while more colors begin just one layer beneath it. It would be cool to know how Brakhage did that. Next, see the image of someone standing in a doorway, then a man's face wearing sunglasses. Around 4:45, we see two people sitting together. Eventually, we see many faces. I wonder how many faces are actually there, and if I just can't see them because of the rate at which they are shown.
    Finally, we see 'existence is song'. I'm not sure where the song comes in, but I do know that the theory behind Divine Comedy was that all sin arises from love, and that in the end, the soul reaches 'Paradiso', or Paradise. Thus, the song could be a symbol for love and spiritual enlightenment. In Dante's final scene, we start off under water looking at a coral reef. Next, we're on the moon above the craters. Then, we're at the top of a volcano where the lava is splashing.
    Overall, I love the video, but I'm not sure what Brakhage was trying to provoke. Perhaps it's his interpretation of what the conscious experiences after life; the soul's journey. Or maybe it's not that simple.