Tacita Dean’s bewitching eulogy to film (and capturing of the ‘green ray’ – do you see it?).
The text below is from this interview with Jeffrey Eugenides
This is really interesting, because I filmed it on this beach in Madagascar, and there was this couple who were hanging around. They didn’t see the green ray, and they’d videotaped the sunset to document it. Then they replayed their video to me for proof that it wasn’t there. But I was absolutely convinced that I had seen it, so it had to be on my film, which was optical and analog. When I got the film back, it was very, very faint, and I had to really push it to get more color in the film, to bring out the green ray. But it’s definitely there. It’s not a fiction. Some people think the green ray is an illusion, but it’s not.
I suddenly realised we are just about to lose this really beautiful medium we created 125 years ago [..] Digital is also a fantastic medium. It’s got massive potential [..] But I love film and I don’t want to lose my ability to make film and it looks like I probably will.
*****
Time's Flow Stemmed 
Do you know the “Seven Books Grey”?
(http://www.steidlville.com/books/1220-Seven-Books-Grey-2011.html)
Its a collection of rather slim books on, about and by Dean. I have not read it yet, but I just discovered that book six in the collection contains an essay on the connections between the work of Sebald, Beuys and Dean – so I must get around to it very soon!
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You read my mind, Sigrun, I read all about this last night and ordered it immediately. Have you seen this: http://uk.phaidon.com/collectors-editions/tacita-dean/ ?
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Wonderful!
I wonder, is there a romantic vein running through her art? This beautiful craftsmanship and delicacy, its really a rear thing in the contemporary art world she can be considered to be a part of.
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Yes, I can see that, romantic in the nostalgic (or melancholic) sense. There is a real affinity with Anselm Keifer’s work.
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This reminded me of Eric Rohmer’s Le Rayon Vert !
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This was Dean’s inspiration. What a great film.
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