At first you can see on the screen just this: a bunch of
letters composed in a strange way. It's hard to combine
them into meaningful words, because these words seem
quite strange. The most strange is the triple S. This is
a rarity, great rarity, something unique. For the first
time you can see three consonants together, in one
cluster. Probably the effect of hissing is not the point
here, because this is not the fable about a snake, quite
popular in the beyond-fence countries. So you begin to
suspect this strange arrangement is not accidental – it
seems to be in a relation to what will appear on the
screen after. This is what can happen in the case of
titles. Sometimes the title part is more interesting
then the film itself. We shall see what will happen. If
the title part is almost a separate film, it is usually
different then the main film. So you expect these
letters will disappear and something totally different
will appear on the screen. And you are right – something
different will appear, however not totally different:
although the letters are replaced with pictures, the
screen is still divided into the same number of squares.
And the number of the squares is thirty two. This is not
so due to the number of letters and spaces between
words. Because the number of the letters is not
accidental. There are thirty two aspects of everynight
life in Bookina Fassso. What are these aspects? Well, it
would be the easiest to make the list of them, for
example: sleeplessness, dreams, pollutions, nightmares,
too-short-quilt... and so on – more or less. Something
of that sort. Wouldn't it be indignant? Wouldn't it mean
we doubt in the basic mental abilities of a spectator,
we fear that the audience could not decipher the most
simple associations and metaphors? It would. So you have
to toil and torment a bit. But only a bit. The task
won't be really difficult, and you will need forces for
other puzzles and problems. The composition of the
screen (though there is nothing special and unusual in
it – this is a well known effect, however has never been
thought of so consequently and transformed from an
effect into a principle) indicates you will have to deal
with some other formal rigours of fundamental importance
for the whole film. And this is really so. You will
notice later there are no actors. Neither professional,
nor amateurs. Ordinary monitoring cameras have been
installed in thirty two places – they are not hidden.
Everybody knows they are and nobody suffers of it, like
nobody pays attention to cameras installed in a bank or
mall, unless he has bad intentions. Thirty two films
shown simultaneously on one screen are just ordinary
recordings of what's going on within the scope of a
single camera from dusk till dawn. The cameras have been
installed neither haphazardly nor intentionally,
according to an exact plan. Each camera was installed at
day by a group consisting of three workers, and they had
only two hours to make everything work properly. So,
within two hours the team had to find the place which
seemed for them to be right and install the camera.
There had been no pre-sellection. The teams made no
agreements, so it might happen they installed the
cameras one near another or one in front of another thus
making them observe each other. There was no time to
check everything properly, so errors and troubleshooting
were not a surprise and caused nobody's irritation.
Anyway, it is one of the aspects.... gosh! I was not to
reveal the aspects! ….. Next day the cameras were moved
to some other places, to record the next night in
Bookina Fassso. I draw your attention that installing
cameras in the light is one of those formal rigours
which is a result of the accepted principle of limited
accidentalness and limited premeditation. The recorded
material has not been edited or mixed, nothing has been
cut away, nothing has been added. The only technical
operation made was to put thirty two films together on
one screen to enable watching them at the same time.
However it doesn't mean the whole collected material has
been used in the films. We don't know how many nights
have been recorded. At least more than a dozen, so
EVERYNIGHT LIFE IN BOOKINA FASSSO consists of the first
few nights; EVERYNIGHT LIFE IN BOOKINA FASSSO 2 consists
of the middle few nights; EVERYNIGHT LIFE IN BOOKINA
FASSSO 3 consists of the last few nights. Provided that
there will be the sequels. Yet it must be provided so,
because sequels seem inevitable due to the inevitable
success of this film. Why inevitable? Because it is the
cheapest revolution in the history of cinematography! Even a cheaper variant could be possible.
There's only one camera. It is installed by the rules
described earlier. Next night the team moves it to
another place. The team doesn't watch the material
recorded during the day, nor the members can ramble
and hang around Bookina Fassso when the camera is
working not to make any spot catch their eyes... But
it is not so sure whether this variant is cheaper, due
to much longer production. The sequels are
inevitable also due to some other reasons. The first
part hasn't solved the fascinating mystery of triple S.
Well, it eliminates the well known, among the
beyond-fence peoples, fable about a snake, and suggests
it may be an attempt to avoid not nice associations with
ASS, however it is only a suggestion and suspicion,
nothing that could satisfy us.
So, what does the everynight life in Bookina Fassso look
like? Hard to tell. This is caused by the fact the film
shows only a few nights. And we don't know what their
relation to other nights is. They could be extremely
stormy or extremely calm. It could be raining and
somebody watching it could come to the conclusion
Bookina Fassso is unacceptably wet country, while it is
really very dry country where rain is quite rare
phenomenon, an anomaly surprising all inhabitants
enormously, even stupefying them. This obstacle may be
overcome when all 365 nights would be recorded.
Unfortunately it only would seem so. One can't tell much
about other years, which may differ significantly from
each other. Let's assume that a few nights we have is a
sample enough representative for a period between two
catastrophes, assuming also that after a catastrophe the
country comes back to the life style from before the
catastrophe, what may be a wrong assumption although
based on well documented, many years lasting
observations – also well documented is the opposite
assumption about the catastrophe being a turning point
in the history. And what has been revealed? The
inhabitants of Bookina Fassso write books. All of them.
Everywhere. All the time. Yes. They do nothing else –
they only write books. Or they pretend they write.
I wonder what catastrophe made them write books. I also
wonder what catastrophe will make them stop to write and
what they will do instead. Will they read what they have
written?
OK. It's enough of considerations so introductory and so
unnecessary. Let's take a look at the square number 27.
What can we see? Can we see anything? No, we can see
nothing. And how about the square number fourteen? Also
nothing. And the square number eighteen? Nothing. And
exactly the same in the case of the squares number
seventeen and nineteen. The night in Bookina Fassso is
very very dark. Don't they have electricity? Do they
have no candles? Maybe they don't know fire? Maybe they
haven't invented a torch so far? If they write, their
eyes should shine like torches and their eyes should lit
pages where they write. Unless they write with their
eyes closed. In an ecstasy. Like musicians used to play
– they turn into hearing, entirely, and they don't need
eyes. Eyes only disturb them. They are but sounds and
images are not necessary. So here people should be
words. They should be entire phrases, sentences .......
Oh, something can be seen over there. It's supposed to
be a window. Yes, probably this is a window. And there
is a lamp in this window. Yes. The lamp reflects in the
pane – a diagonal white line. Under this line: probably
a face. Unclear and smudged. With white outline.
Probably grey hair and grey beard. Under this face: very
bold, thick, horizontal line with the ends fading out in
the dark, turning into blackness. A glow on something
that could be a blackboard. Or a vertical desktop. Kind
of pad? Maybe he has put a paper sheet on this desktop?
Is he writing? Is he drawing? He's thinking. He's
hesitating: to destroy it with awkward words, or with
awkward strokes? to leave it blank? ....... Write.
Write. Write. Write. What can I write about? .......
This is what he is thinking about or maybe he's thinking
about something else? His eyes are dark stains, and his
mouth twists illegibly ....... All of them are sleeping
and only he wants to write something? Or maybe he's
falling asleep. He's fighting against the invading
sleep. He's rocking. Can't sit straight. He's reeling.
Very soon his hand will fall asleep and will draw and
write nonsenses, or dreamsenses ....... But when he
switches off his lamp, somebody else in some other place
will switch on another lamp. Let's wait. We shall see.
So, don't fall asleep. Don't fall asleep. Don't fall
asleep as usually in the most interesting moment.... |