Less is more although I have a good friend that consistently says more is more, and sometimes, I have to agree. Lately, my trend has been to see less, but to spend more actively looking. It's amazing what we can miss just by not noticing or paying attention to what's right in front of us.So, I have been going back to a small exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, but just doing a couple of rooms at a time in an effort to read, learn and retain. "Houston: Tranquility Base Here. The Eagle Has Landed" opened just a few weeks ago. It is a varied collection of paintings, treatises, photography and installations that trace 500 years of fascination with the moon.
Last time I browsed the exhibit halls, I noticed a flat screen television but had no inclination to sit down and watch the full sequence of what was being shown. This time around I did. I was delighted to learn that what was shown, was considered the first science-fiction film in 1902 by Georges Melies. "Trip to the Moon" is in some ways ridiculously hilarious, in other ways signifies what man has the ability to create in order to explain the unknown. The symbology is thought provoking, but the general theme of man not being able to harmonize with unknown cultures is a theme that is quite applicable and arguably more important today.
Having recently read Dan Brown's lost symbol, I am in a quest to derive, decipher, and perhaps invent meaning in seemingly empty and inanimate objects. This certainly provided food for thought when the rocket lands right in the cheese-like moon's eye: man cannot explore without destroying something in either a large or small scale. On October 9th, Nasa bombed the moon to create a 5 mile crater to seek for water. It has caused some controversy as it violates space law prohibiting environmental modification of celestial bodies. I have not been able to locate follow-up information to see what was found.
The movie is only 10 minutes, has curious music accompaniement. If you are a classical music lover, you will recognize the tunes. I have posted it below
