Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Documentary Recommendations

We are totally mesmerized by The Documentary Channel. Last night we saw two exquisite documentaries I highly recommend:


Speaking in Strings is about the life of Italian violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg. Whether you are a big fan of classical music or not, this is amazing stuff. The violin has already been one of my absolute favorite instruments -- see this documentary and you'll know why.

Afterwards, we watched another doc titled Beatrice Wood : Mama of Dada.

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Beatrice Wood was an important contemporary artist, craftperson and writer. Her life ran the course of the 20th century and included many of the figures that shaped it. Ultimately, her genius was in the marriage of wide-ranging influences in her work. The spirit of Dadaism, impact of Modernism, embrace of Eastern philosophy, influence of folk art and even the ornament of ethnic jewelry were all combined in her ceramics. Her work reveals a mastery of form, combined with a preference for the naïveté of folk art. Ultimately, it is impossible to separate her life experiences from the work she created, as she truly mastered the art of a life.


Both of these documentaries are a blessing on the soul. See them.

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