The Tree of Life is an experimental drama which deals with the theme of the origin of life and we are shown this through the life of a middle aged man, which is juxtaposed with imagery of the universe and the beginning of life on earth.
I choose this movie to watch as part of my territories of practice because The Tree of Life epitomizes not only my theme and studio practice but the whole of the theme of "personalized universes".
This movie is a dialogue between humans and nature as the film examines the relationship we have with ourselves whilst mirroring the relationship we have with nature.
I think that The Tree of Life is important when considering the territories of practice- personalized universes and my theme nature because this movie looks at the unique relationship between man and nature. The finial image of the film, which began with the film also begins with a point of singularity and ends with it, and this is symbolic it is a piece of art by Thomas Wilfred entitled Opus 161. This light is said to be represented as not only the beginning and ending of the universe but the holy spirit and the eye of god. This movie not only deals with physical cycles of nature but also the spiritual ones and we see this with Sean Penn as the protagonist.
This movie echoes my work in the sense of the macro-microcosm aspect of it. The same patterns that are found in the solar system are then also found in cells and the minuscule bio systems of the earth. Terrence Malick reinforces this idea by littering his movie with visual images of nature, that are ambiguous and allow the viewer to inject personal interpretations of what the image might be. This aspect of the movie, summarizes the message of The Tree of Life, that is everything in this universe, man and nature are interconnected.
After watching this movie, i have have started to look at my studio practice with a broader view in terms of what is nature and i want to explore the wider context of pattern in nature as well as pattern in general. I also feel that i need to begin with experimenting with simple forms rather then go straight for the intricate designs, as i thought that the basic shapes shown in the movie were more of a standout feature and created a sense that nature is infinite. This notion that nature is omnipresent is especially expressed in this striking shot of a stained glass which is shaped into a spiral, one of the fundamental shapes in nature.
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