Corey was back home the weekend after Thanksgiving to film the reassigned project for his video class. The professor decided to pair students together to create a video portrait of each other. Actual footage of the person could not be used and the video had to be no longer than a minute. Corey called me from school prior to coming home and said “I need an ax and a Bible—and a piece of wood that I can chop on.” I’m thinking, “This doesn’t sound good.” He said he would explain when he got home.
When I look back on my college years, I think of them as being pretty non-descript. University of Maryland was affordable and only five miles from our house so my choice of a college was pretty narrow. I also had to pay for my college education. I didn’t have enough money to live on campus and because we lived so close, it really didn’t make sense. So, I was a commuter student.
In order to pay for college and my car, I worked part-time in the evenings and on weekends. At the time, I did what I had to do, but I think I missed a lot by not living on campus. School was almost like having another job. Show up daily, work, then leave. As far as being busy academically, my life wasn’t too different from most college kids. But it is hard to become part of the social community when you are not fully immersed. Living at home did have some perks. Besides saving money, I had delicious home-cooked meals every day and my laundry seemed to get magically washed and dried. But I think being “on my own” during those years would have been a real confidence booster and better preparation for the real world.
I’m glad my kids had the opportunity to live on campus. But then, they both attended colleges that were far enough away where they had to. And even though they both have had to pay their way, it’s been manageable with savings, scholarships, loans, and a little help from the family. I think living away from home while at school has helped them become independent, self-reliant young adults.
But that doesn’t mean that they don’t come back for help now and again. And now my independent, self-reliant young man needed a Bible and an ax—and some assistance. (Warning: an actual Bible does get harmed during the filming of this project.) The idea behind the portrait he wanted to create of his partner was that this young woman, upon entering college, had challenged her adherence to a system of beliefs instilled by her parents, namely her Catholic upbringing, replacing it with a new way to identify herself represented by candy, cereal and cartoons. In short, rigid, conformist values (parents, home, religious upbringing) had been replaced by newfound freedom and self-indulgence (college, independence, discovery), which is not an unusual path for most college students.
Corey laid out his plan for this project to Henry and me. We listened to the message he wanted to convey and his ideas for making it happen. Props and feasibility were considered and we went from ax to table saw. The table saw would be staged like an altar, with the saw blade emerging from beneath the table, rendering complete destruction of the Book. This scene was the most difficult of the project and required the most preparation and a number of practice shots. The shot required three takes because the table saw jammed. But the final result worked--perfectly.
Destroying a Bible certainly has the potential to create controversy. I was not without raising an eyebrow when Corey described this project to me. But as an artist making a statement about his subject, anything is valid. In art, validity is often questioned, but if the result provokes thought, emotion and even better, a conversation, then I believe the piece is authentic.
Corey went on to stage and film the other two shots, edited it all together, scored and recorded the audio and by Sunday evening, a finished video, ready for the Tuesday deadline.
I called Corey Tuesday night to see how the critique went. His partner, the subject of the video portrait, loved it. The class debated its merits for forty minutes—far more time that is usually allowed, with the general consensus positive. Finally, the professor, previously known as Jackass, called it a success.
I like the fact that both my kids have sought my opinion and advice on various projects throughout college, (not that I could lend much expertise on most of Calvin’s subjects). Collaborating with Corey is more in my realm—although sometimes I can get a little too carried away playing art director. Henry jumped into this project full throttle. As he said, guys tearing up stuff—it just doesn’t get any better.
Henry and I can describe having four kids go through college all at about the same time in four words—“never a dull moment”. When the phone rings, we find ourselves going from “talking someone down off a ledge” to “sharing in the joy of success”. College life for the mom today is anything but “non-descript”. I am no longer the star, but I sure am glad that I have a supporting role.
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