Cremaster 4 and Cremaster 5
This week, Michele and Alex take on Matthew Barney’s Cremaster 4 and 5, which played at a midnight screening last weekend in Manhattan.
Michele: For years I have heard of Matthew Barney’s Cremaster Cycle- The masterpiece that it is, etc. I had viewed some of his art, unrelated to this particular project at the MOMA, and was impressed by it, but always sort of wondered about the conceptualization of his art. The Cremaster series is comprised of 5 levels, all based on the Cremaster muscle (a muscle that covers the testis).
For a while, I even had a copy of “The Order” a 30 minute selection of the Cremaster at my disposal. I am sort of glad that I didn’t watch it, since apparently it is only a portion of Cremaster 3. So I had no idea what to really expect in video form when Alex & I went to see Cremaster 4 & Cremaster 5 this weekend.
Alex: I’ve seen The Order before, which is 30 minutes of the 3 hour long 3rd Cremaster. Part 4 is actually the first of the cycle that Barney created. It runs only about 40 minutes. The piece crosscuts between a motorcycle race in opposite directions on the Isle of Man, while a Satyr (Barney) journeys to meet the race at its midpoint. Naked, painted female bodybuilders, underground caverns, and lots of petroleum jelly ensue.
Part 5 has a much larger budget than 4, though Barney once again chooses to shoot on video instead of film. This part stars Barney again, and former Bond girl Ursula Andress. It takes place in a European opera house where Andress and two servants watch Barney crawl up the stage wall. Barney also appears as Andress’ former lover, a pseudo-Houdini about to jump off a bridge outside of the opera house, and as a giant one-balled eunuch in the swimming pool area below the opera floor.
Michele: While watching Cremaster 4, I saw the two events (the Satyr & the race cars) as non-related. While there are motorcars racing, Barney is packed full of pearls by the faeries & tap dances a hole into the floor of the room he is in, creating an entrance to the ocean. Once in the ocean, he then continues to tapdance into a hole and is climbing through a shell. For me, it was reminiscent of the birthing canal, in the sense that it just gets smaller & smaller as he navigates through it. Then the video just ends. I have no idea how the motorcars relate, until you start researching the idea behind the films.
Part 5 does indeed have a much larger budget. But in relation to the cremaster theme, I have no idea how it coincides. Barney plays three characters, the diva, the giant & the lover. Andress sings in Hungarian, backed by a full orchestra & two doting servants. However, being that it is sung in Hungarian, it is hard to tell that she is experiencing a flashback or emotional pain, while the Diva tried to cheer her up. It is a beautiful piece of art…but trying to find any real meaning goes beyond my capability.
Alex: Part 4 ends right as a collision is about to take place between the cycles, the Satyr, and a weird donkey painted orange. My research says that the cycles represent ascending and descending chromosomes racing to decide the sex of the Satyr. The donkey represents something too, I guess.
Part 5 was made second, but it seems that Barney was going for a bombastic climax to the cycle, hence the opera theme. The giant seems to be the most perfect representation of Barney’s testicle fetish. The cremaster muscle raises and lowers the testicles, but Barney visualizes this by attaching doves on ribbons to the Giant’s one large nut, then letting the birds fly free.
It’s debatable whether or not any of these greater meanings could be figured out through only viewing the movies, and not additional Wikipedia searches. That might be true with most art, but most art doesn’t have fansites and long summaries and interpretations all over the internet.
Michele: I do like that Barney uses a lot of natural products in his art, such as the petroleum, water, etc. This is something that, while making his art unique, it often cannot withstand the test of time, which is why Barney’s Cremaster Cycle in video form is so important.
Art is always open to interpretation. I find it hard when people come away from it seeing exactly what the art is intended. While you may be able to understand that the intention was, each person interprets art based on their own person life experiences. Based on this thought, I can understand the ideas behind the Cremaster Cycle, but not comprehend every element.
Alex: I’m pretty superficial when it comes to viewing art. I enjoy museums, but I can breeze through most of them in about 30 minutes, depending on the crowds. I’m attracted to a certain scary/modern Gothic kind of art though. It’s why I owned a Cremaster poster before I ever even had a chance to see the films. I’ve never had an art appreciation course, and it generally takes a lot to shock me into reacting to art. A big picture of an amputee woman and a man with his lips ripped off is just shocking enough, I guess.
Seeing the Cremaster in video form is a rare thing, which is why we leapt at the chance to see these two films. There are DVDs of the cycle available, however they’re out of print and we sold in a limited edition of 10 each for about $400,000 a disc! His latest, Drawing Restraint 9 also has no set plans for a wide DVD release either.
Michele: But no worries, we will provide you with a review of both the Drawing Restraint sculptures & movie in the following weeks. In the meantime, happy art gawking.
April 13th, 2006 at 7:18 am
I don’t think I could handle these movies, I’m not nearly artsy enough at all.
April 13th, 2006 at 12:54 pm
After looking into this since your piece intrigued me, I think the 3rd installment sounds/looks interesting to me. But I guess for it all to come together you have to see the whole cycle.
I previously stated that it looks too artsy for me, but part of me wants to give the films a look. Time will tell if I ever cna get around to it.
April 13th, 2006 at 1:24 pm
its not a matter of getting around to seeing them, its if they get around to you. if you’re not in a major city, you can pretty much forget about seeing anything but the order (i see it on the amazon ad next to this right now). its only a half hour and on netflix, so theres no reason not to check it out.
there’s plenty to see on the official site though:
www.cremaster.net
April 13th, 2006 at 2:06 pm
I read that there is supposedly going to be a full on boxed set produces in the coming year.
I live near Philly and have family near New York, so I’m sure if I try I could see at least some of it. I’ll probably check out The Order for the time being.
April 13th, 2006 at 2:31 pm
yeah i’ve had that box set in my DVD Afficionado “unreleased” queue for some time now. still waiting on official word about it.
August 28th, 2006 at 11:16 am
Hello,
I’m sorry about this mail, but someone can help me to find the dvd cremaster 5 because I would like to buy but I don’t find!!
Someone can help me, please??? The site who sell the dvd…
Thank you