1+1+1+..., Shared Isolation
From the beginning of March 2020, a virus initially called coronavirus, later renamed as COVID-19, has begun a foray all around the world; first in Asia, and eventually across most countries. With the unexpectancy of an invisible yet deadly virus, the pandemic has eventually led to a global crisis and affected hundreds of thousands of communities. Since safety protocols of handling a deadly virus were still strange for most countries due to the lack of knowledge and unfamiliarity, communities and individuals began to panic and a charged energy has arisen amongst spaces of people. Problems beginning from hoarding for toilet papers in grocery stores to the presence of anti-mask protests and other troublesome events, have resulted in the world engaging in a full panic mode. Additionally, since individuals are required to follow safety protocols, including physical distancing, people have become individualized and isolated, socially, and mentally. Although humans could rely on social media platforms to interact with friends and family, the craving for physical connection is undeniably still present for many.
In the beginning of the first film, Synapses, the clarinetist is the only subject in sight and placed under a spotlight in a dark space, this place setting initiates an unsettling and somber tone for the film. With no distractions, viewers are obligated to pay undivided attention to the clarinetist and the later interaction between the clarinetist and the dancer. In every waking moment during a time of a global crisis, we acknowledge the futility of the current situation that we are placed in. This reality sets many to feel uncertain, agonized, and entrapped in our own headspace. I cannot help but associate this setting in the film with our inner fear for this vigorous and invasive virus. The setting of Cone, on the other hand, has a melancholic tone including the decision to be displayed in black and white. In Shared Solitude, an uplifting and cheerful energy is carried throughout the film, which is contrasting to the other two films.
The scene of confrontation between the clarinetist and the dancer in Synapses is reminiscent of our current times, in which communities are confronted with the virus, as invasive as the dancer. In conjunction with the background soundtrack, Synapses connotes a nerve-wracking energy which resembles the personal spaces of individuals during the pandemic. The film directors of this project subtly place intentions to the titles of these films. Like the title of the film, Synapses, is referring to the “gap at the end of a neuron that allows signals to pass from one neuron to the next.” 1. That is in the central nervous system. Since this structure acts as a gateway for neurons to pass information to each other, associations surface with the fact that many of us yearn to be connected to one another during this very isolating experience. For Cone, the tight and intensive sound of the violin projecting outwards into the empty hall, displays a structure of a cone. Which is also the title of the piece. The title of Shared Solitude, ties in the subject of duality one may have in the condition of being isolated and alone.
In the second film, Cone, the violinist initially plays in a melancholic melody and later on, in a more intense and fast-paced melody. The progression of melodies signifies the progression of emotions that intensify overtime during the course of the pandemic. Many individuals would initially experience a sorrowful emotion towards the fact that we no longer can interact with others physically without the worrisome of getting infected with the virus. As time goes by, we are confronted with the fact that the end of the pandemic is unforeseeable, which would lead a number of us to be distressed and angered, just like the intensified melody which the violinist eloquently plays out. Similar to Synapses, the clarinetist utilizes fast-paced and intensive melodies to confront and battle the presence of the dancer.
Being isolated and alone in the music hall, the projection from the sound of the violins suggests a sense of loneliness in Cone. Having the sound to be heard by nobody, like our inner challenging thoughts that cannot be heard by anyone during this crisis. Like the spatial experiences we encounter during these times, the violinist is confronted with the space of the music hall. The printed photographs of people that are in the violin case displayed at the beginning of the film, appear to be people that are close to the violinist. This scene calls to mind a nostalgia of human connection, which again triggered a desperation for human connection, and yearning to physically interact with friends and family again without the consideration of the safety protocols for the pandemic. In Shared Solitude, the quality of loneliness and isolation is also present, but it is manifested in a positive and joyous way. It connotes a sense of self-indulgence despite the unideal condition that some people also encounter during this invasion of COVID-19.
Sources:
Cherry, K. (2020, November 24). Different parts of a neuron. Retrieved April 16, 2021, from https://www.verywellmind.com/structure-of-a-neuron-2794896#:~:text=Terminal%20Buttons%20and%20Synapses&text=At%20the%20end%20of%20the%20terminal%20button%20is%20a%20gap,released%20into%20the%20synaptic%20gap.
Works Cited:
1+1+1+..., Turning Point Ensemble, 2020. https://www.turningpointensemble.ca/202021-season
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