SPACE ODESSEY REDUX...

Today was precisely the 40th anniversary of the opening of
2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY

Stephen & I went to see a special showing of it at our local theater this evening.

Originally written by Arthur C. Clark, who died recently,
Stanley Kubrick's film holds up remarkably well. I was struck by
its mostly simple elegance & rather stately pace.



One image I had mostly forgotten over the years
was that of the humans suspended
in a state of hibernation inside body capsules
to preserve resources on a space journey...
which reminded me as I watched this evening of
those hauntingly beautiful ancient paintings I've seen
on the cliffs of Horseshoe Canyon in Utah,
which show a curiously similar silhouette.







The scene depicting the murder of HAL,
the perfect computer-gone-bad,
had me wondering if I could kill mine...



The enigmatic embryo of the last scene is still a bit puzzling even if it has also become something of a modern archetype. I'm pleased we followed our impulse
to grab this rare opportunity to see this classic film.

While it is not exactly related, I will share images of the latest wax I'm working on. A re-design of the SKULL bell, the original of which has always been too difficult to manufacture easily in the form it exists now. This is a smaller version with more [ahem] life in the action of its clapper & the pendent loop.

Some bells are rather more involved on the mechanics & engineering side... so, I've had intensely challenging fun playing with these aspects of this carving. I've had to work through several attempts at impossible fantasies.

Soon the question about whether to decorate it
or to leave it anatomically bare boned will occupy me...

We saw a fragment of a rainbow as we ate
an early dinner before the film.
While this one was photographed several weeks ago
it seemed to end at our new little deck...
I'll share its promise in closing.