Shield Maker Marty Lovins (+playlist)

Marty Lovins has been making shields for three decades. In November, 2013, I sent him a new translation of The Iliad with a burnished illustration of Achilleus’ shield on the cover. Never interested in discussing his shields, he responded with a telephone call to come to his studio and bring the camera. During the four months that he actively worked on the shield, he would call me as the making of the shield progressed. This film covers the time period from 5 Dec 2013-27 March 2014.

SONG OF THE TREE'S DUENDE

SONG OF THE TREE’S DUENDE

You’ll never get to the bottom of this

Roots waiting it out

fissured rock

Holding what you’ll never see

          ·   

Work so the tree

won’t have to find its way again

when you’re done

         ·          

SHE

said,

Put the camera down.

Put the Goddamn camera down.

           ·     

WAKING AT NIGHT

HE WOULD WRITE THIS DOWN

IN THE MARGINS OF A MAGAZINE

He had decided

to keep going.

He would go into the world

saying yes

renouncing

His notebook, his camera

           ·       

his one word

         ·   

Deep song in old trees

listens, waits for one

to tender its roots

         ·   

The tree will thank you

Tree where heart is nourished

Tree orienting you to sun

Jim Bodeen

7 March—22 March, 2014

The Trees Will Thank You (+playlist)

Looking at trees in Gary Wharton's studio garden, the bonsai artist re-pots a collected San Jose Juniper that showed itself in the wild two years ago. The tree will orient you to the sun. This is part of the way-making. Work was done on the Ides of March, 2014.

The Tree Will Show You with Gary Wharton (+playlist)

Bonsai artist Gary Wharton repots a Cork Bark Black Pine with Jim Bodeen in his studio garden in Kennewick, Washington. The day, part tutorial, part one-on-one seminar, relies on the artist and his/her relationship with the tree, to discover what the tree wants. The work days took place 8 March and 15 March 2014.

The Day Parents Come Up the Mountain,

Personal threads tell the camera where to go, how to listen. Many of those in this video, children and adults, carry prophetic voices and visions for the videographer who has been tracking them for years. They have found their way to yet another mountain, seeding the mountain with joy, an act of the soul.