I made this video - actually a photo montage -for Tyrannosaurus Rocks around the time I saw an exhibit of Martin Luther Kings personal papers at Sothebys. What struck me was how his renowned themes - even some of his historic phrases - appeared in earlier form in sermons, essays, even term papers. As a writer, King was constantly revising his ideas, making sure he was saying exactly what he wanted to say. For the video, I wanted the music to be Stevie Wonders version of Blowin in the Wind that he performed on the piano at the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert on October 16, 1992. I was at that concert and it had a huge effect on me. He does a long, spoken intro (not included in the video), almost like a sermon, where Stevie says that unfortunately, the song will always be relevant to something that is going on in this world of ours. He mentions the civil rights movement, the Viet Nam war Watergate and Steven Biko. At the time of the concert apartheid still had not ended, but was on the way out. (Bill Clinton was on the way in.) For the visuals, I wanted MLK quotes juxtaposed with images from the civil rights era. I wanted images that conveyed the urgency, the danger and the evil that fueled the legalized form of racism that was segregation. This would showcase Kings ideas but in written form, letting Stevie carry the videos emotion. At the end of it, I wanted pictures that would reflect the MLK that isnt usually shown - the man who smiled, laughed, and had a good time all while pursuing his goals. Who could access deep reserves of joy and who had faith enough for an entire country. Who could encourage millions to bring the best out of themselves, because he could do it for himself, too. They werent easy to find on the Internet, but I found two great pictures. To me, the last one sums up this man who achieved the extraordinary, but not impossible, and who believed that all of us can do the same. Happy Martin Luther King Day!
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 21:32:59 +0000
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