Sin #63: Art in Transformation

We’ve all been warned on documentaries like “An Inconvenient Truth” or “Collapse”; the world, as we know it, will undergo a serious transformation thanks to our process of industrialization fueled by greed. The most serious problem is currently happening on our gulf as the oil spill has quickly started to fill the pacific ocean and will eventually cover every single ocean; there seems to be no solution to the continuous spillage and, as usual, politicians keep passing on the blame (hell, even the CEO of BP refuses to take responsibility on the matter). Only time will tell how much damage it will really do to the marine ecosystem.

As technology continues to offer us breakthroughs in the areas of science, art, health and entertainment I can’t help but wonder if we’ve to finally pay for our decades of excess. Few movies seem as prophetic to me as Godfrey Regio’s “qatsi” trilogy which may be seen as a profound statement on mankind, its evolution and the consequences of its supposed “growth” or just merely as an elongated and rather pretentious series of music videos.

“Koyaanisqatsi” (or “Life out of Balance”) is the first movie in the trilogy and is all about industrial tyranny, consumerism, militarism and exploitation. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful work of images and sound whose power continues to haunt audiences more than 25 years after its original theatrical release (its influence can be seen in dozens of commercials that use the same filmmaking techniques).

“Powaqqatsi” (“Life in Transformation”), the middle film, is not as effective as “Koyaanisqatsi” for the fact that it feels a bit more repetitious and monotonous. The film is more about the delicate nature between man and nature but even though is isn’t as powerful, one can’t deny the visual wonders Regio displays on screen.

“Naqoyqatsi” (“Life as War”) is different from the previous installments. First of all, its images are all seen through digital filters which give the film a haunting and eerie look and its themes seem to evoke technological engineering and artificial intelligence. Even though “Koyaanisqatsi” is the most memorable of this unique trilogy, “Naqoyqatsi” is the one that most deeply resonates, especially in today’s society.

The thing that is most striking in these films, besides their visual wonder, is the score from composer Phillip Glass. Although he’s made a number of movie scores, he’s never been better than working on the “qatsi” trilogy (some movies even recycle some of the tunes). On “Naqoyqatsi” he got work with the great Yo Yo Ma and together they deliver a phenomenal emotional symphony.

These movies are meant to provoke a strong reaction from the viewer who will either find them hypnotic and profound or will simply dismiss them as yet pseudo intellectual dreck. Watching them I find myself glued to the images and moved by the music and thinking about mankind, his actions and, specially, the consequences.