The Sonosopher

Saturday night, at Ken Sanders Rare Books, the DVD for The Sonosopher was released. (Contact the store for a copy.) Alex performed new and old work and, because the store was absolutely packed for the event, I got to stand to the side and behind him so I could see the score—the text and images Alex spoke and sounded. The film itself often weaves text and sound together in a similar way. 

Once again, Alex's reading made me come alive with unexpected insight, with sudden wit, with—as always—a profound focus on words and language. My head is a more spacious, more interesting place this morning after having heard and seen Alex Saturday night.

He drew me out of and into myself. He made me laugh — that laugh that accompanies wit (and the word has its root in Wissen—to know).

It's a beautiful object, the DVD, rich with an image of Alex in mask and rug, with a self portrait, and with an enigmatic thin-lipped drawing.

Travis Low and Torben Bernhard are the filmmakers and in this, their first (but not last film), they have created a film so thoughtful and striking and even audacious that I'm left to wonder what marvelous films might be slouching toward us from the future.