what we have here is a failure to communicate

“We’re in a free fall into the future. We don’t know where we’re going. Things are changing so fast. And always when you’re going through a long tunnel, anxiety comes along. And all you have to do to transform your hell into a paradise is to turn your fall into a voluntary act. It’s a very interesting shift of perspective… Joyfully participate in the sorrows of the world and everything changes.”

– Joseph Campbell

I watched a movie called Sukhavati: A Mythic Journey this afternoon, which the filmmakers called a “meditation” on the work of Joseph Campbell. Using audio and video recordings of him speaking, and video footage and still images from their travels round the world, Maxine Harris and Sheldon Rochlin sought to paint a portrait of Campbell’s ideas – or, as Campbell might have put it, his dreaming myth. I’m just starting to explore the “renowned” mythologist’s work, so this served as a nice overview. I have The Hero With a Thousand Faces at the top of my TBR pile and I’m eager to start it. The quote I included above chimes in tune with many other things going through my mind these days, and I look forward to seeing what else Campbell has to say to me.

A Google search for ‘free fall’ imagery led me down one of those odd internet wormholes, and I found Miriam Schapiro’s Free Fall (which appears above) and then the artist herself. I am so glad! She is a very interesting lady, and her artwork is gorgeous. I love her use of color, the inclusion of fabric in her work, and the way she ‘collaborates‘ with other artists (like Mary Cassatt and Frida Kahlo). I am looking forward to learning more about her. Here’s another one of her ‘femmage’ pieces:

I’m Dancin’ As Fast As I Can, 1984