Short of the Week: Studying human action with Richard Serra
Richard Serra is a well-known American artist whose artistic output has continued to flow in recent years. Over the years, Serra has drawn critical attention for his approach to large sculptures and his radical redefinition of the art of sculpture-making.
For this edition of Short of the Week, we have decided to focus on Serra’s filmography. More specifically, we will discuss one of his most well-known shorts – Hand Catching Lead – which raises some of the most important questions about Serra’s philosophy of life and the creative process that gives birth to his unique ideas.
“Existentialism, probably more than anything, influenced how I approach materials and process,” Serra admitted in an interview. “It got me to the point where I thought matter imposed its own form and you have to deal with the immediacy of matter in relation to process. I owe a lot to the writing of the existentialist writers and philosophers. Music is also terribly important to me. I listen to Bach almost every day.”
Hand Catching Lead is a deceptively simple three-minute short which features footage of a human hand trying to catch pieces of lead. It is intended to mimic the vertical trajectory of film through a projector, but the philosophical implications of the hand on the screen extend beyond the concerns of the cinematic medium.
“I do not set out to make difficult or austere art,” Serra declared. “This is not what motivates me. I think artists in some sense have to be obstinate; they have to accept they might be marginalised instead of trying to please.” When it comes to Hand Catching Lead, it is difficult to look at such an enigmatic vision through these strict lenses.
Instead, Hand Catching Lead should be viewed as the manifestation of our collective subconscious. The hand misses the falling lead pieces on some occasions; it catches the pieces on others, but immediately lets go. A commentary on the transient nature of life, Serra’s short film provides startling insights into the human condition.
Watch the short film below.
