Harry's Shelf Of Antiquities And The Origin Of The Green Wall
I remembered having a hard time convincing the film's director Djinn that I'd want to paint the wall "green". He felt we didn't need it (or mayhap the color green left a rancid taste with him, he's never said otherwise, and I never did ask, I think...), and I remembered I had been adamant in wanting it.
The rationale:
A predominant color of the 1970's, tis likened to Singaporean governmental institutions and/or clinics, back in the day. A very vile (an irony considering the current retro resurrgence) and let's face it, not exactly a happy color. Nor did I want a neutral white or blah-beige wall. I had wanted a sense of dullness and mayhap a sense of "imprisonment" to Harry's life. And that singular feature colored wall in the entire house would be it.
Space constraints also played a part in this setting, as most times we'd see this particular wall and I had wanted the different ligthings of the day (shining thru the window at side) to "play" with Harry's "moods". I remembered we recce'd the location during the specific time(s) of day of the intended scene, to see how the natural light affected said location, and I had wanted to enhance the solitary vibe I had seen, with both my sets and props.
To make things a bit clearer - I personally dislike green. With a mild vengence. But I'd felt this was what Harry needed. A prison of his own making, disguised as a sanctuary.
The Cabinet played a big part in the mood of the set and film, at least for me. It was the embodiment of Harry's psyche. Filled with treasures of his past, not of monetary value, but of the memory of the glory days. Mementos of his numerous travels around the globe, a mark of where he's been and who he was and long to be again. A global-citizen, trapped in an age embodied by his habitat and mindset.
Each single item would bring on a different story and memory, and I am sure he'll tell them with a smile and warmed heart. And yet they are encased in a glass-paneled cabinet, much like himself ~ bare to the world but not his heart. Framed by tradition (altar), memory (display cabinet) and (loosing) time (clock and calendar), this wall, to me, is Harry. Even his pride and joy, his son, sits on the top with his old man.
This cabinet came about after Djinn had brought me to visit one of his relatives (Uncle Steve) and he too had cabinets full of mementos, both old and new. A mixture of overseas exotica and coasters, mingled with fastfood toy giveaways - which I had wanted to replicate and embody in a single display. Thriftshops and flea markets were the only way to obtain these items in these current times and my heart yearns for where they all are now LOL.
If I had my way, every single item would tell a story and that would've been quite a maxi-series, innit? LOL
[ This was first posted on 11.28.2006 ]
