TALK: ‘A Hundred Parts, A Hundred Faces’

Hastings Museum and Art Gallery
November 23rd 2014 / 1.30pm

Montaigne was one of the most influential writers of the 16th Century, who tried to create an honest self-portrait including all the strengths, weaknesses, fears and joys of his daily life experiences.

His fascinating and deeply human writing includes titles: Of Age,’ ‘The Force Of The Imagination,’ ‘Of Experience,’ ‘Of Dying,’ and ‘Of Drunkenness.’
Considering Montaigne’s attempt at honesty, including his sense of uncertainty about truth itself, Rebecca will talk about his work and look at self-portraiture in essay-filmmaking, a hard to define genre that sometimes falls between documentary and fiction.

Screening of excerpts include:

• Jonas Mekas, ‘As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses Of Beauty’ 2000
• Rebecca E Marshall, 1995-2013, excerpts from personal archive.
• Jonathan Caouette, ‘Tarnation’ 2003.
• Agnes Varda, ‘The Gleaners And I’ 2000 and ‘The Beaches Of Agnes’ 2008.
• Chris Marker, ‘Sans Soleil.’ 1983.

FOLLOWED BY SCREENING: ‘Of Joy’
Super 8, MiniDV & HD / 11 mins / Rebecca E Marshall / 2014 / UK
2.30pm / 2.45pm / 3.00pm
.
Drawing from her personal archive and diary material, this is an invocation of joy from glowing gut warmth, to slap in the face surprise.

In collaboration with composer Liam Taylor-West.