Butterflies And Zen
By Mike Everleth ⋅ April 19, 2009
Here is Jennifer MacMillan‘s lovely It Is Repose in the Light. It’s short, it’s silent, it’s embedded above: Please watch it.
While the term “zen film” isn’t one I’ve come across too much, it’s a term I would use to describe this film. Trying to achieve zen is a form of spirituality and this is a film that seems designed to help with meditation. The slowing down of the flapping butterfly wings mirrors the slowing down of the breath that one does during zen meditation. While the film is very short — just a minute long — it holds an image that would work well played on an infinite loop. One minute isn’t very long for a meditation session, but repeated for even just 10 or 20 minutes, this would be perfect.
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Mike! Thanks for this beautiful, intriguing, original, and thoughtful essay on my video!
Your writing makes me think of this:
“Please allow me to introduce myself . . .” :)
My friends, Ray Salvatore Harmon and Bradley Eros, each explore darkness, night, Lucifer, etc., but that is not for me! I consciously avoid these subjects and I don’t like to linger too long with these ideas. Although it’s like running away from one’s own shadow. Light and dark exist together and are part of everything . . . I guess?
My patron saint of cinema is Rimbaud or Galileo or Odilon Redon or the Lumiere brothers or Leonardo da Vinci . . . How can I choose just one?
Thanks so much for including my video on your site and for taking the time to think about this little motion study! Go ahead with your BAD self! :)