Blue
Voice - Image #1
Image obviously plays a dominant wole in film and video; the soundtrack susally emphasises or augments that which is invisible. It is when this conventio is broken that we are on the threshold of what is actually to be seen on the screen and the expectations and images suggested by the soundtrack.
This programme is dedicated to artists who give precedence to the imaginary power of sound to such a degree that eventually the visual images are totally eliminated. They utilise the auditative elements of their works, such as voices and sound effects to appeal directly to the imagination of their audience.
Blue, Derek Jarman (GB, 1993, 35 mm, 76:00)
‘Blue’ is the result of the fact that Derek Jarman was seropositive for several years. His sight was severely affected due to the treatment he had undergone to combat the symptons of AIDS, and the form of the film can be interpreted as a literal outcome of this. The colour blue is allocated the major thematic role. The colous of the sea, the image that lingers on the retina after the eye tests, the place of the colour blue in nature, its spiritual qualities and some more prosaic associations; ‘Blue’ evokes questions about the character of cinema, of perception and not lastly about the character of sexual preferences.