EXCERPT OF ONE OF MARAT'S ESSAYS

 

script used in
animation in italics
view movie
0'59" 1.63Mb
Don't be deceived when they tell you things are better now. Even if there's no poverty to be seen because the poverty's been hidden. Even if you've got more wages than ever before and can afford to buy more of those new and useless goods which industries foist upon you and even if it seems to you that you never had so much, that is only the propaganda of those who still have much more than you. Don't be taken in when they paternally pat you on the shoulder and say that
there's no inequality worth speaking of and no more reason to fight because if you believe them they will be completely in charge "in their marble homes and granite banks from where they rob the people of the world under the pretence of bringing them culture. Watch out, for as soon as it pleases them they'll send you out to protect their gold in wars whose weapons, rapidly developed by servile scientists, will become more and more deadly until they can with a flick of the finger tear a million of you to pieces".

Jean Paul Marat:
18th Century French Visionary (1743-1793)

While studying art history, I stumbled upon an old Style Council CD from the 80's with an excerpt from a text written by the 17th century French visionary: Marat. (see above) Astonishingly, the text could have easily been composed today and metaphorically speaking, David's painting of Marat -dead in his bath for voicing his opinion- is a synonymomous picture of recent world events. It was almost as if I'd been given the parts of a puzzle.

And as far as I'm concerned, puzzles are best left to a concentrated mind with no distractions. I relished the chance to surrender my thought to the location of void. From all the places I have ever been, the Australian outback personifies this the best and furthermore, it has always held a special beauty for me. I have sat for hours in the middle of nowhere mezmerized and intrigued by the simplest of things; hot sand blowing, a slow beetle moving, a strange looking leaf. The same place has also been an inspiration for aboriginals. With all the puzzle-pieces scattered and at their fingertips, they imaginatively interwove and invented moralistic stories of strange happenings that explained existence and natural discourse.

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