Rivers and Tides: Documentary Film Review

byAsha Dhedhi - 2 Comments

Rivers and Tides

(Documentary Film Review)


To begin with D.H.Lawrence's statement….


"There is a sixth sense, the natural religious sense, the sense of wonder."


Nature is something by which we are surrounded and daily we observe it, But as much as deep you dig it always comes out with a surprising beauty. There are innumerable things which circulate around us, which we take for granted and sometimes doesn't even notice. And to enjoy  it there is a need to develop a sixth sense which is Sense of Wonder as D.H. Lawrence stated. To develop a childlike capacity of curiosity to absorb the innocent natural beauty. This is somewhat developed by Andy Goldworthy as a Landscape Artist.


Andy Goldworthy is a Naturalista, who makes the best use of natural elements to produce his Art. He described his work as "Earthworks" - came into existence out of the artist's passion to create something worthy which can be stressed at the height of spirituality.





'Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldworthy Working with Time is one of his best Documentary Films with mesmerizing cinematic and sound effects, Directed by Thomas Riedelsheimer, released in 2001 in Germany. The film got high positive responses from the audience and also won The German Film Award for Best Documentary and Best Cinematography.


The film promotes the very idea of the Transient nature of Art, along with Nature and Human Life. The Bohemian Free spirit of Andy Goldworthy is reflected in this film at its very peak. He is a kind of unconventional man who feels free in the lap of nature instead of making sculpture on four bounded walls. His vision to see nature is different from other set traditions. Once he said….


"I think it's incredibly brave to be working with flowers and leaves and petals. But I can't edit the material I work with."


This is his perspective to see Nature and Art, For him Nature is an integral part of any Art, which emerged out of nature and is going to dissolve in nature, as the Life itself. He made different sculptures with the use of natural elements like Stone, Icicle, Leaves, sticks, wood, thorns, mud, colored flowers etc. And with every piece of Art he learns the Lessons of Living Life. For him Art is not just the creative piece, but he takes every piece at the height of its intense beauty with the awareness of Destruction. He is pretty clear about existence and survival, That the things that came into existence will surely end one one day. But for him the journey between Birth and Death is spiritually enlightened. And this is the takeaway of this wonderful Documentary piece. One critic Frederick and Mary Ann Brussat make true remarkation about the film…


"An Extraordinarily spiritually liberate documentary about one of the 

world's greatest artist."



Throughout his life he is much more fascinated towards Rivers and Sea, both are Water. And the impact of Rivers and Sea can also be observed in the title of this Documentary. He said "Time and Tide" suits well but River is the treasure to learn about Time. So, he chose the title Rivers and Tides. Now let's go through the journey of the Sculptures which are created by Andy Goldworthy throughout this Documentary Film and along with that I'm going to describe what are life lessons can be absorbed through this film.



The essence of the all Sculptures lies in its process of Creation, Destruction and Renewal. Every Art created by Andy Goldworthy is going to fade away, still he is going to create it because it's the very core structure of the whole universe. But what is important is that Sportsman spirit. Your work should not depend on Success or Failures, because it is the end product which is not in our hand. He said….


 “Art for me is a form of nourishment. 

I need the land. I need it.”


Every step which you make towards the completion of your Art nourishes you, nurtures you, makes you a stronger being than before and it improvises your personality.


Working with Ice is not an easy task. It is like the cold atmosphere freezing your body. And shivering hands may not allow you to work properly. But Andy Goldworthy's vision seems quite positive. For him when you are working with good art it keeps you warm, it motivates one to overcome all the hurdles matter what it's level. What we can learn from this particular process is that your spirit of fighting till the end defines you. Whenever you take a task to work with, if you are interested in it see that work as a creative process and automatically you become a part of that flow and you will enjoy it.



Andy Goldworthy seems liberated from his work. He doesn't feel much more attachment to his work after it is completed. For him Acceptance is much more important than avoiding the things. This can be a very interesting lesson from this Documentary. How eagerly, enthusiastically you work it will die one day because it is the natural flaw and we can avoid it. Seeing things in it's true form. When we judge any Art on the basis of Binary Opposition, we are distorting the beauty of that work. By taking away our mental perception, and judging capacity of Good or Bad, will allow oneself to experience the wonderful aesthetic beauty of things.



Idea of Detachment is deeply rooted in all his work. And whenever we entangled in any work without being attached resulted in its supreme. Attachment leads to suffering and Detachment creates space for Freedom, where one's free spirit prevails in its totality. And the very idea of Detachment is discussed time and again in every religious scripture. We can take an example of Bhagavad-Gita where Krishna says…


 तस्मादसक्तः सततं कार्यं कर्म समाचार ।

असक्तो ह्याचरन्कर्म परमाप्नोति पुरुषः ।।


Meaning - Those who act without being attached to the fruits of his action but as a matter of performing his duty can attain the supreme.


This is somewhat practiced by Andy Goldworthy and that's why his Art, His sculpture is Supreme in its beauty. And this is what everyone should learn to get peace, happiness and liberation in his life. Buddhist philosophy also discusses the very idea of Detachment….


"Renunciation is not getting rid of the 

 things of this world, but 

accepting that they pass away."


Time is eternal, but the Art is not eternal, life is not eternal. We are moving but time is still there. And to enjoy life few moments are enough, and if we live that moment fully then we will not regret it at the end. We have limited time to perform our part and if we miss those moments it is like a great loss. And whenever we are working with time the arena of tension revolves around our head. And these tensions make work more interesting. Because the deadline strikes our head, and the marker of time constantly heating our head to complete work within time at it best. This is something which we can learn from this documentary when he is working with Stone Cone. And the shape of sculpture itself suggests how we take time for granted when we have time and going through cones at its peak it becomes narrow which suggests that at the end time is haunting like a ghost.



Another lesson which we can learn from the cone sculpture is that Failure does not end life. Goldworthy tried it four times and it collapsed every time, that doesn't mean you quit. But failures in life came as the lessons through which you can enrich your life. If you are failing again and again that means you are not ripe enough to get success in it. And your failures mature your understanding, not only the things in which you are failing but also its heightened the way you understand life itself.


"And each time I go to know the stone a 

little bit more"(Art grow out understanding)


Andy Goldworthy has a habit of clicking photographs, to show his works to other people, and to explain his works to others. This is a kind of habit which everyone should develop. Which helps a lot professionally as well personally.


"Memories are treasure, and photographs help to sustain our treasure lifelong."



"Out of sight, out of mind" as this phrase suggests that the things which are not present in our sights, which are not observed daily, then there is a possibility that we forget those things. But photographs help us to Save those memories lifelong, whether it is bad or good that doesn't matter. Because from every moment we are learning something. 


Shape of most of his sculptures is River-like, which is not straightforward, There are so many twists and turns in it. But still there is flawlessness in it. It can be considered as a symbol of life. Where nothing is as simple as it looks. There are so many obstacles and hurdles waiting. But to maintain that flawlessness is an individual's responsibility for betterment of their life. 



To conclude, Rivers and Tides, Documentary film is not only film about the landscape art which Andy Goldworthy used to make. It is a power of Andy Goldworthy perception who see nature in its very true, natural, original and fundamental form. It is about the transient nature of Art as well as life. Everything on this earth came into existence in a momentary, temporary way. And one must accept that reality instead of avoiding it. Andy Goldworthy is also much more influenced by Albert Schweitzer idea of Reverence for Life. No matter what happened in life, upheavals are part of life and one should respect it. Blaming the situation is not a way to come out from Darkness because it is already there, but it is about your perspective towards it, and this somewhat Andy Goldworthy has explored through his unique vision towards Art. ANd I would like to end my discussion with D.H. Lawrence one of famous lines from Lady Chatterley's Lover…


"We have got to live, no matter 

how many skies have fallen."


References



Asha Dhedhi

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