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GRABIGOUJI:

Life of Disappearance

A Portrait of Louise Bourgeois

BRIGITTE CORNAND

Friday, March 8, 2013

FIAF

How do you get to know someone?  This is the question Cornand's film Grabigouji poses.  The film is a series of taped phone conversations between Brigitte Cornand and Louise Bourgeois. The filmmaker adds a series of still photographs and occasionally video clips.  The audience was advised in the introductory remarks about Grabigouji, that Cornand's films unfold slowly.  I might say painfully.  

In one badinage, Bourgeois talks about the 5W's - who, what, when, where and why  She explains that the 5W's  are essential to unify any text.  Cornand must have forgotten this strategy for getting at the nature of things, mainly in this work.  Her film, although experimental in form, lacked conventional content.

We get to know Bourgeois through her repetitive grilling of Cornand over the phone.  "Have you picked up  the signs from the Bazar de Hotel de Ville?   The entire conversation is punctuated with this question, asked and answered many times and in many different ways.  Bourgeois' persistence was humorous, but also an indication of her badging nature.  

Every now and then, interspersed among the most mundane conversation in the world, some gem would drop from Bourgeois's lips.  She lists collectors of gifts, trips, lists, happy moments, drawings, etc. etc. etc. and then................................... "collecting is a defense against the fear of disintegration." This is when it dawned on me, what the introducer was trying to tell us, wait for it....you will be rewarded. 

TO SEE MORE FILMS

BY BRIGITTE CORNAND:

My Beautiful Women

FIAF

Saturday, March 22

2 pm

In Annette Messager's Nets

The Sweet River and Saint Louise and the Hawk

Saturday, April 13

2 pm

Dear Louise

Joan Jonas:  Portrait of the Artist with Dog

Q and A with Brigitte Cornand, 

Joan Jonas, Carolee Scheeman, Gween Thomas & Martha Rosler

Saturday April 20

2 pm

Homage to Louise Bourgeois

The Sweet River

Book Signing of Grabigouji , to my friend Louise Bourgeois 

The Whisper of Whistling Water

Grabigouji:  Life of Disappearance