Like Dawn to Dust | Irish Artist's Film Index

Like Dawn to Dust

Vivienne Dick


Artist's biography

Vivienne Dick

Synopsis

'Like Dawn to Dust takes up the exploration of the rural landscape initiated in Visibility Moderate but it is characterized by a very different mode of address. Instead of appropriating from radio, television or film, Dick develops a more overtly 'poetic' aesthetic, through performance, cinematography and sound. The opening shots of a decaying 'Big House' bearing the scorch marks of a fire, are accompanied by an off-key piano, recalling stage melodrama or early cinema. The house, most likely a remnant of Anglo-Irish society, is abandoned but for the figure of Lydia Lunch, wearing her signature New York 'Goth' make-up and clothes. Lunch delivers a poetic monologue, both on screen and in voice-over, over a traditional soundtrack and her final words emphasize the circularity of Irish narratives: 'the past never dies, it just continually repeats itself.' (Maeve Connolly, 'From no Wave to national cinema: the cultural landscape of Vivienne Dick's early Films (1978-1985)', National Cinema and Beyond, Four Courts Press, 2004. Sourced from http://www.luxonline.org.uk/artists/vivienne_dick/like_dawn_to_dusk.html on July 20th 2016)


Images

Details
Title

Like Dawn to Dust

Year

1983

Form

Short

Key phrases

landscape, absolute, lyrical, portrait, history, performance

Language

English

Duration

00:06:00

Original formats

Physical: Film: Super 8mm

Aspect ratio

4:3

Colour

Colour

Sound

Yes

Supported by Kildare County Council Arts Service, the Arts Council of Ireland and Visual Artists Ireland.
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