I don’t know how, nor will try, to categorize Gina, aka the Grad Secretary in terms of cinema, video art, or web-work so I’ll simply call it good ol’ solid storytelling. Because when it's all boiled down it’s either good or bad. And I’ll dare to say Grad Sec is neither. It’s absolutely brilliant.
With such a simple idea it transforms–through routine and objective observation—into something profound & contemplative. There’s truth in banality & plotlessness; a poetic truth, which many modern filmmakers are exploring, in a variety of ways, right now. This project is a wonderful annexation of this artistic movement.
A pertinent & poignant look at office work in the 21st century: the click-click-click of computer keys, papers shuffled, off-screen conversations overheard, people migrating from one room to another, phones ringing, desk clutter, appointments beginning and ending...all of this amalgamating into a blur of officious repetitiousness. Yet there are daily subtle changes: new hairdos, different clothes, the mismatching of accessories. Is the back office light on or off. Will the phone ring? Will that door close? What did that person say? Where and when will someone enter into the frame? What was in that instant message that made her smile?
Bertolt Brecht wrote: "Before familiarity can turn into awareness, the familiar must be stripped of its inconspicuousness; we must give up assuming that the object in question needs no explanation.” By showing us what it is like to have a 9-5 job you transformed a quotidian really into something quite conspicuous. Never has the sound of a computer begin shut down had such gravity...this final? episode punctuates this project’s (and Ms. Telaroli’s) artistry.
The final shot warps the meaning and experience of the series. The environment surprisingly, after 166 episodes, enlarges not only within the grad sec’s building but out into living, breathing streets of NYC. The fishbowl is much larger than we suspected. A spectacular (and melancholy) moment…
Thanks for this excellent experience. I personally look forward to what will come next from this talented artist.
2 Comments:
I don’t know how, nor will try, to categorize Gina, aka the Grad Secretary in terms of cinema, video art, or web-work so I’ll simply call it good ol’ solid storytelling. Because when it's all boiled down it’s either good or bad. And I’ll dare to say Grad Sec is neither. It’s absolutely brilliant.
With such a simple idea it transforms–through routine and objective observation—into something profound & contemplative. There’s truth in banality & plotlessness; a poetic truth, which many modern filmmakers are exploring, in a variety of ways, right now. This project is a wonderful annexation of this artistic movement.
A pertinent & poignant look at office work in the 21st century: the click-click-click of computer keys, papers shuffled, off-screen conversations overheard, people migrating from one room to another, phones ringing, desk clutter, appointments beginning and ending...all of this amalgamating into a blur of officious repetitiousness. Yet there are daily subtle changes: new hairdos, different clothes, the mismatching of accessories. Is the back office light on or off. Will the phone ring? Will that door close? What did that person say? Where and when will someone enter into the frame? What was in that instant message that made her smile?
Bertolt Brecht wrote: "Before familiarity can turn into awareness, the familiar must be stripped of its inconspicuousness; we must give up assuming that the object in question needs no explanation.” By showing us what it is like to have a 9-5 job you transformed a quotidian really into something quite conspicuous. Never has the sound of a computer begin shut down had such gravity...this final? episode punctuates this project’s (and Ms. Telaroli’s) artistry.
The final shot warps the meaning and experience of the series. The environment surprisingly, after 166 episodes, enlarges not only within the grad sec’s building but out into living, breathing streets of NYC. The fishbowl is much larger than we suspected. A spectacular (and melancholy) moment…
Thanks for this excellent experience. I personally look forward to what will come next from this talented artist.
Absolute genius. Talk about mastering the art of verité. Or brilliance of timing. Or pure and simple perfect luck, and knowing how to recognize it.
This will be missed.
-e
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