Liliana Porter introduces the series of fragments she presents here with titles. These titles help create a context and mood for what the viewer is about to see. She alludes to fundamental themes: dying, eating, being in love. Porter is interested in situations in which she can set opposites against each other: funny and sad, banal and profound. In 'Para usted' various objects hold a dialogue with each other (toys, knickknacks). Whatever the situations and dilemmas of the stories are, blissful or melancholy, Porter's clever and succinct humour remains a constant factor. She deals with the theme of imagination while at the same time working with different gradations of realism. But what is the reality of a lamp in the shape of a dog that barks with a human voice? And of the wooden penguin that keeps coming back? The image is a lamp, a dog, and barking (by a human), all in one fragment. Just as with Magritte, the relationship between objects and their meaning is called into question. There is also the realization of the importance of the viewer as creator of meaning. The objects are presented in a way which make them seem banal or telling in accordance with the viewer's perception. 'To Fall Down I' and 'To Fall Down II' are situations that serve as metaphor: the one stands for the simple falling that makes people laugh, the other for the metaphor of making a mistake, an error, or the illustration of a continuous lack of understanding and communication. Next, the same penguin figures in a fragment with the title of 'Dead'; a fragment that seems to be very long but actually lasts less than a minute and makes us aware of the duration of eternity (death). In the last scene, 'Life', a human hand helps the penguin stand up and walk, a reference to the power we have to change situations from dead to living, from banal to profound. As Liliana Porter puts it: "We are the creators of meaning."
– Ilse Chin |
Music: Sylvia Meyer
Liliana Porter, 1941, Buenos Aires (Argentina)
lives and works in New York (USA)
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