fairytelling

in a dark dark wood, was a dark dark path and on that dark dark path was...oh you know, some creepy house with fey little orphans... perhaps a brother and sister who had some incestual thing going on and stumble on some craggy witch/ stepmother/ evil queen who does really neat spells which she always has to be punished for...when in those dark dark times she was probably getting rid of some hulking wood cutters child or making some herbal tincture... but anyway i dont want to do the revisionist feminist thing on fairytales, i just like them...the more magical and greusome the better....

"Round Midnight" Maurizio Anzeri, 2009

Did you know that in a different time and a different place..In a land faraway..Once pona time...I grew up in a circus and my family drove round in a double decker bus and performed magical tricks and did puppet shows?

8 Possible Beginnings or The Creation of African America, a movie picture" (Still) Kara Walker, 2005

Anyway this is one of Kara Walker's shadow puppet "shows". It's uses some fairytale motifs not in the"once upon a time" but in a specific historical era starting in the late 18th century and depicts plantation life of the U.S south when the slave trade was in full swing. In this heady tale, a kinda Gone with the Wind imploded into its ugly core, everything from lynching,gang rape, head jobs, forbidden sex, giant shitting Negresses and hokey distorted "Mammy" sterotypes are played out by these shadowy figures. It's mesmerising and unrelenting. Probably the most interesting aspect of Walker's work is her resistance in presenting a glib expose on racial stereotypes; something far more insidious and terrifying is presented. Everyone is indicted in this landscape of power and cruelty...oppression is the shared currency. But yes, we are still talking about fairytales... 

"Bluebeard" Dir: Catherine Breillat, 2009

This is probably one of my favourites and Breillat doesn't dissapoint in her film adaption. Like Walker, creulty, pain and oppression is a shared condition, so it's not just the (almost pitiful) Bluebeard who is the opressor (although he certainly has few "issues" with (sexualised?) women and he did tell his new wife not to use that key!). This film is very strange in both its pace and mise en scene, some scenes are very beautiful and romantic whilst others feel dull and awkward, but i think this is intentional. The scene where the horror room is discovered is gorgeous...the blood floor, bare feet dangling and when the lovers are on a castle high balcony and he really wants to slit her throat as she lies in his arms. It goes into a lot of almost Freudian terriority of "totem and taboo" and also asserts the compelling romantacism and latent sexiness of this tale.... It's also quite sad. 

Olive tree, Maurizio Cattelan, 1998

I could go down the psychological horror track with this theme and that might be fun and could probably "illuminate" contemporaneous issues about concealed historical pain and allow me to put some more gory pictures in. I did want to put Goya's "Saturn devouring his Sons"in for obvious reasons and also because I just think its cool that Goya had this in his dining room at home...but i don't know its all starting to feel a little morbid and dark and there's always the other side to fairytelling which is about shiney things and dashing princes and shapeshifters and duck shell blue palatial walls where old ancient olive trees grow and if you ingest them the next time you poo it will look like this!....(below) 

"oooooo"

"arrrrrr"

Tales where you go into the woods and meet woodsmen and wolves and mutter terrible incantations which change people into inanimate objects..haha

"look at this crazy thing pretending to be a chair..its actually a big smelly pink ogre who's into cross dressing in victoriana styles"

"No Comment", Idiots: Afke Goldstein & Floris Balcker, 2006

And being friends with all the animal creatures whose blood is actually made from rubies and finding your grandmother in the bellies of beasts.....

"Little Red Riding Hood", Miwi Yanagi, 2004

Detail "Crystal of Resistance" Venice Biennale, Thomas Hirschhorn, (photo Olivier Zahm from Purple Diary) 2011

And collecting smoky quartz cystals to give power and mojo to your quite brilliant and magical art installation which bewitches all who lay there eyes upon it.....

"Devoted to You", Jocksum Nostrum, 2003

wherein you gallop a horse up many a mountain peak in some platform shoes you found at Bendigo op shop to seek counsel from a wizard with a ship attached to his hat....and he offers you a cup of pungent fenugreek tea....

"Mackum Pikeys" Tony Briggs (date unknown but looks fairly contemporary)

And everyone lives happily ever after...well sorta.... 

Keep warm, look at the stars, goodnight little ones