In the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford on Sunday, I saw: an 11th century wooden polychrome Guan Yin, about two feet tall, with soft draped folds of cloth sculptured so lovingly it made me almost weep; a French landscape by Corot from which the smell of hot rural air rushed out; an exhibition of Chinese prints from 1950 on that were insistent, vibrant, and took me into the anger and beauty of Chinese culture without compromise. And of course, much else. It’s a gem of a museum.
A couple of days before I watched the almost completed version of Roberta Cantow’s film on menstruation, “Moontime”, which is powerful and beautifully filmed and constructed. The film focuses on menarche, when a girl gets her first period. It has lots of moi in it, speaking in 1998, from the lovely little adobe house I had then in Topanga Canyon. I am so glad Roberta interviewed me at that time, because the menstruation material was still so uppermost in my experience, and she captured that very well.
“Moontime” will be showing at relevant festivals throughout 2008, so catch it if you can. There are two companion pieces, “Bloodtime”, and “Dreamtime” which will be finished soon also. I’ll give information on where and when all these films can be seen when I know more.
