Lawton Hall

I very much enjoyed Lawton's visit! A lot of his work resonated with me, for a variety of reasons. His introduction in particular was extremely relevant to what I've been thinking about recently, being: how the hell am I going to live after college? All we're required to do is make enough money to eat, supply the government, and consume. Where in this formula is the real action of living? I feel like for so many people, their job is not a part of their experience of 'life' - their real life starts after they leave their workplace. I do not in any way, shape or form want to live only outside of work. I'm hoping to eventually make money by creating film, something that I find both a worthwhile use of my time, and something that I genuinely adore to both create and consume.

ANYWAY, with this in mind, my favorite piece of Hall’s was his work with Carl – I connect with the medium and understand the use of sound on an academic level. The thing that I found most surprising about the music in the film was the almost whimsical quality of the feeling it created, despite the almost perverse act of active voyeurism through the camera’s lens. I think this film could just as easily have had a feeling of suspense or tension, and the music has a huge part to do with that.

I also wanted to talk about the first piece, because it conjured for me a lot of images that matched with my fear about the future. Usually, when we hear classical instruments in a concert hall, it’s very easy to understand the message and continuity of the piece, but for Hall’s piece, there is no continuity or harmony. The only point that created a sense of grounding is when the bass created a foundation on which each instrument was able to stand. It was a very beautiful and solid point in the piece.