Photos
Storyline
Featured review
An unusually interesting art documentary
Beeban Kidron's "Making Space" is an unusually interesting art documentary. It not only manages to tell a story, but tells two interwoven stories, and does each with some pace and urgency.
The main story line of the film helps convey the process and pressure of putting together a major gallery show with new, large-scale works. Gormley isn't at all sure that the work will develop the results he's looking for in time for the show.
The second story line arises from a set of legal issues around another major work installed on a beach. It's an interesting story, and also helps convey the other pressures and complexities of an artist working in a large-scale public medium.
Kidron interjects some penetrating questions, and Gormley's responses and other comments add real insight. It's clear he takes sees art as very important to our society, and is thoughtful about his approach.
And there are even bits of humor, though you'll have to pay attention to pick up on the very dry and understated (British) way they are worked in. It's nice to see an art documentary that's serious without being humorless.
Perhaps it helps that the film is relatively brief - about 50 minutes. Other documentarists seem unable to leave anything on the cutting room floor. It helps to hone a film down to it's key elements. In fact, some may find the editing a bit spare if they are completely unfamiliar with Gormley's work. An interesting article entitled "All the world is his gallery" published in the Guardian may help fill in the gaps. A web search should turn it up.
A sense of the creative process and the realities of making that work on a fixed time line, along with Gormley's insights, make this a film worth seeing for those interested in art.
The main story line of the film helps convey the process and pressure of putting together a major gallery show with new, large-scale works. Gormley isn't at all sure that the work will develop the results he's looking for in time for the show.
The second story line arises from a set of legal issues around another major work installed on a beach. It's an interesting story, and also helps convey the other pressures and complexities of an artist working in a large-scale public medium.
Kidron interjects some penetrating questions, and Gormley's responses and other comments add real insight. It's clear he takes sees art as very important to our society, and is thoughtful about his approach.
And there are even bits of humor, though you'll have to pay attention to pick up on the very dry and understated (British) way they are worked in. It's nice to see an art documentary that's serious without being humorless.
Perhaps it helps that the film is relatively brief - about 50 minutes. Other documentarists seem unable to leave anything on the cutting room floor. It helps to hone a film down to it's key elements. In fact, some may find the editing a bit spare if they are completely unfamiliar with Gormley's work. An interesting article entitled "All the world is his gallery" published in the Guardian may help fill in the gaps. A web search should turn it up.
A sense of the creative process and the realities of making that work on a fixed time line, along with Gormley's insights, make this a film worth seeing for those interested in art.
helpful•10
- shore-8
- Sep 11, 2007
Details
- Runtime50 minutes
- Color
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content