CAMERA SOLO by Patti Smith
Not everyone was born to be a
prophet. We smile down. We know
all about it. We were born to be.
Born to be: wild necks green Rimbaud
We do the grind to the organ music.
We know where we're coming from.
We cut a womb rug.
A Mean rug. you should see us
Jitterbug. Go rimbaud. doo-wa.
dyna-flow
Rimbaud
with the
Power
of the
Word.
Legend Patti Smith's CAMERA SOLO exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario was beautiful.
She organized the gallery space herself, and one can feel her presence in the space even though she wasn't there the day I went.
She had a multitude of objects on display that are simply fascinating.
for instance, the Arthur Rimbaud items, which impressed me immensely:
- his utensils in a black and white photo taken by Patti herself at the Musee Rimbaud in Charlesvilles-Mezieres in France
-a b/w photo of the Rimbaud monument in the town square
- a stunning portarit of Rimbaud (UNIQUE POETRY) painted by Patti herself in December 1970, with amazing handwritten poetry dripping down the page
-his litter, made of graphite, painted black, with netting, an EXACT replica- dead-center of the gallery space. Arthur was carried across Ethiopia (100 miles) for medical assistance on it.
- an original 1892 copy of LES ILLUMINATIONS, printed by Leon Vanier in Paris- amazing to see an original copy!
-a French Rimbaud postage stamp.
Just amazing to gaze at. This exhibit is on display downtown Toronto only until July 2013.
She made a black and white 7-minute, 19-second film with Rene Daumal, with images of reliefs and tombstones with Patti reading poetic words as a soundtrack.
I watched it twice. It's hypnotic.
She had a totem she made for Brian Jones (nice), she had a photo-booth filmstrip of her and Robert Mapplethorpe, as well as his Crucifix, she had photos of Modigliani's grave, William Blake's grave, herself in self-portrait, (with Thunderbolt tattoo was GREAT- and the one of her as a young woman- what a Goddess. She also had photos of Frida Kahlo's bed, Virginia Woolf's bed (and would you believe a round stone from the river Ouse in East Sussex where Virginia drowned herself?- She filled her coat pockets with stones).
Baudelaire's grave is among her "sacred relics". She shaped her style over years of observation it says in the program, taking photos with her special Land 250 Polaroid camera (also on display, with Nuryyev's practice slippers). The Land uses special black and white film that delivers an instant picture with a narrow white border. Her photographs are infused with a deep personal meaning.
Patti says that these photographs are like diary entries in her Life.
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"Set the controls for the heart of the Sun" - Pink Floyd
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