I have now had a funny experience with a third assistant curator today.
On the street I walked passed an assistant curator today and wanted to ignore him but felt like I should say "hi." he got solid eye contact with me but didn't say a word. Sure its weird to have someone you don't recognize say hi to you like they know you, but what I do when someone recognizes me but I don't remember them is act polite and then try to remember who they are. Having the third funny experience I now understand what happened all three times.
If I walked past David Hammonds on the street I would probably, out of respect, say nothing, or with great deference say "I love your work" and keep going. I can see now that the assistant curators expect the same treatment as the artists. With this guy I can understand how he acted, just because it was out of context and I didn't introduce myself, but since this is my third similar experience, I can see that the assistant curators are "big shots" and expect to be treated as such. I imagine it is along the same lines as me saying hi to the vice president of the airline while passing him on the street.
Shame on me for my irrevrence, but this amuses me. I enjoyed being snubbed by them. I like that I "didn't know my place" and overstepped my bounds by in one case introducing myself at the airport, in another, saying hi on the street, and in the other case, my worst behavior of all: existing. I think why I like it so much is because they snubbed me so stereotypically. I am a "nobody" in the shadow of brilliant assistant curators, and, from my ignorance of knowing this, have been privledged to interact with them, since anyone else would know better. I am the janitor who mistakes the CEO for an office drone and has the audacity to comment about the weather. Its in the script and I get to live it :)
mood: touched by greatness LOL
8 comments:
Funny ain't it! The Whore of Babylon (Monicas official title) is a trained objects conservator, and has very much the same stories to tell. My sister-in-law is a curator, and she seems to think the same about conservators.
I think;
The people you pass everyday,
you know the ones, the ones you recognise but only glance at from the corner of your eyes. The tall girl with red hair, the guy always on his mobile phone, or the one always drinking a tall-cap from a paper cup.
They deserve names. The name of something You want to achieve in life. You'll say to yourself, here comes love, nice to see my career looking so happy, how can my whatever wear that top... with that head?
Before too long you'll smile at them openly every morning and become used to making eye contact with all your desires. You'll lose some fear of success. And maybe, just maybe, you'll start getting some of the things you really want in life.
But more importantly, all your knowing strangers, will see you as a happy, friendly person.
From Satans short film - Knowing Strangers.
No way!
I want to see that one too now :) I love it i love it I love it
Is Monica (WOB) ;) the person who preserves a painting a centimeter at a time using a tiny brush, using all sort of high tech techniques to detect potential damage?
It's so cool to watch that stuff on PBS documentaries. It looks like one of those fantasy jobs that kids "want to be when they grow up" like astronaut or marine biologist.
A man at my church says alot of the things he has painted are in the institute of arts (he paints the little numbers on the back) :)
Thanks for the feedback, it means a lot. :) Sometimes I wish it didn't, it'd make writing a lot easier, but it does.
WOB used to deal with objects - 6th century pottery and victorian era feather dusters and the like. She now runs a research library for a corporation. (2 degrees - Don't ya just hate dedicated people). We do have a bunch of friends who do paintings. It's all science and no glory, but there's a lot play with really cool (and expensive) artwork.
Monica's Job sounds cool & I admire her dedication. (you know of course I am not the "jealous type") LOL
Speaking of Monica, and her dedication, you should follow her suggestions, the more you promote yourself the more feedback you will recieve on your work :)
The paragraphs you pasted on here spoke to me. If they speak to one person they will speak to many :)
I know, I know
My films click with a lot of people. Which is probably why I've won awards for all of my films, except one which unbelievable crap - I sold out in order to try and win a $10,000 camera. The film didn't have to be good, only entered. The odds were like 1 in 30 but I didn't win and now I have a crap film to show for it.
I think the awards are my best advertising. Australians are traditionally humble/relaxed and I can't stand those people who turn up to a festival with a monologue of how fantastic they are. Americans do it very well as they're not always being pretentious/false about it, they're speaking from the heart. I don't do it well and it not only sounds like I'm full of shit but arrogant as well.
I remember chatting to a 'new film friend' once who stopped me mid-sentence and said that he didn't believe I had the conviction to make a film. I explained to him it's just that I wasn't an arrogant American, he's American, luckily he laughed and said that didn't matter I had to act that way. I told him there was no way I'd act like something I'm not (ironic considering I post as Satan) and he just shrugged. Anyway, he liked my film but didn't like my attitude as a film maker. I found out later that he was one of THE hollywood producers - I had no idea, just thought he was a typical studio contractor. Doh!! I'll act anyway you want, just give me $20 Million.
It's a skill I'm going to have to practice, because without it you don't get a lot of funding. Soooooo annoying to see talentless hacks get your grant because you're not willing to play a stupid game.
I admire Monicas dedication as well. She is amazing, but I get to take some credit as I did 'all' (OK, allow me my exagerations) the housey things while she was studying. Her job is pretty cool and really diverse, one day she's researching migrationary patterns of sea turltes and the next she's studying compounding wear on large concrete support structures. Mind you, she should have an easy job like me rather than being a stress monkey all the time!
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