When you think about the work you've done over your life, its interesting to look back at the patterns that keep reoccuring - its encouraging to know that despite the roller coast ride of life, that creative work remains consistent....especially with documentary filmmaking - it's an innate interest in other peoples life stories that keep you interested in making films, telling stories and constructing narratives around writing, poetry, art, and life.
Working with my brother - it's also about reflecting my life in his life and so the conversation is not just as an onlooker - but seeing life history through someone elses eyes...its' revealing and disconcerting at the same time..but never dull. Especially my brother - who has lived an artists life as a poet, a publisher of other peoples work and an occasional artist himself. He continues to inspire me with his own work and now in his pursuit of a PhD about women writers in NZ from the thirties to 1970 ...an often neglected period in our literary history.
The Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop, Mikes publishing company, in association with
HEADWORX, Mark Pirie's publishing company, just completed a winter reading series...which culminated in Mike reading his own work after beautiful readings by Bill Dacker from Dunedin and then a rare treat to hear poems by Marilyn Duckworth followed by a duet by her and her partner, Nelson Wattie - who together read love poems by Alistair Campbell to his wife in a recent publication "It's Love...isn't it?"....a poignant and loving memory to her....and between them also.
