Time Is Shaped Like a Labyrinth
May 18, 2024 6:53 AM Subscribe
Mr. Samuel's Teatime Stories for Good Kids & Confused Adults is a short film in 4 parts by Yara Asmar, a musician, puppeteer, and filmmaker from Beirut. The creator describes it so: "In a wonky universe set within the fake walls of an old abandoned children’s TV show, Mr Samuel and his friends -peculiar, ugly puppets navigating the strange thing that is time- attempt to make sense of it all through stories, songs and arduous loops of nonsensical chores."
Asmar continues: Zizek’s book ‘The Parallax View’ begins with a description of the first use of modern art as a method of psychotechnic torture: French anarchist Laurencic’s ‘colored cells’. “The cells were as inspired by ideas of geometric abstraction and surrealism as they were by avant-garde art theories on the psychological properties of colors… the walls, which were curved and covered with mind-altering patterns of cubes, squares, straight lines, and spirals which utilized tricks of color, perspective, and scale to cause mental confusion and distress.”
Yes, it's a film in 4 parts, but the total running time is a hair under 30 minutes.
This is focusing on a particular project of Asmar's, but look around her website; there's a lot of other things there. Here's an interview on her music.
A short video analyzing the project by YouTuber Night Mind.
Asmar continues: Zizek’s book ‘The Parallax View’ begins with a description of the first use of modern art as a method of psychotechnic torture: French anarchist Laurencic’s ‘colored cells’. “The cells were as inspired by ideas of geometric abstraction and surrealism as they were by avant-garde art theories on the psychological properties of colors… the walls, which were curved and covered with mind-altering patterns of cubes, squares, straight lines, and spirals which utilized tricks of color, perspective, and scale to cause mental confusion and distress.”
Yes, it's a film in 4 parts, but the total running time is a hair under 30 minutes.
This is focusing on a particular project of Asmar's, but look around her website; there's a lot of other things there. Here's an interview on her music.
A short video analyzing the project by YouTuber Night Mind.
Her aesthetic is very heavily “of the Internet”, but it feels like it’s the Internet of twenty years ago. This reminded me of nothing so much as Salad Fingers.
I really need to watch and listen to more of her work.
posted by Kattullus at 12:46 PM on May 18 [1 favorite]
I really need to watch and listen to more of her work.
posted by Kattullus at 12:46 PM on May 18 [1 favorite]
I really liked this.
One thing that it reminded me of, early, was some encounters I'd had when I worked in a state mental hospital. There's an internal logic, unusual use of words, preoccupation with time, isolation. Then the solitude and inability to leave in chronically institutionalized persons.
The aesthetic was a 1970s PBS meets Jodorowski to me, which is strange, since I doubt Yara Asmar grew up on the same weird 1970s-80s educational programming I did.
posted by cobaltnine at 5:27 PM on May 18 [3 favorites]
One thing that it reminded me of, early, was some encounters I'd had when I worked in a state mental hospital. There's an internal logic, unusual use of words, preoccupation with time, isolation. Then the solitude and inability to leave in chronically institutionalized persons.
The aesthetic was a 1970s PBS meets Jodorowski to me, which is strange, since I doubt Yara Asmar grew up on the same weird 1970s-80s educational programming I did.
posted by cobaltnine at 5:27 PM on May 18 [3 favorites]
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It gave me a lot to think about. How when we find deep passions to follow and develop, we are often disconnecting from the world to do so - and it can be a much needed escape.
The way she describes just picking up an accordion and working through the design and how to play it - I've found the instruments I've connected with most deeply are the ones I explore initially on my own. I highly recommend that approach.
Thank you for posting this, even if now I do feel a bit like I'm on shifting ground.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 7:14 AM on May 18 [3 favorites]