William Kentridge - creating animated images in space and time

Abstract

At issue in this article is "History of the Main Complaint" (1996), which is the sixth film in Kentridge’s "Drawings for Projection" series (1989-1999). The discussion is centred on spatiotemporal manipulations employed in the juxtaposition of past and present. The film continues the chronicles of Soho Eckstein, mining magnate and capitalist, his remembering of the past by means of flashbacks and dreams, his accumulated and ineradicable guilt, his memory and absolution. Soho is no longer depicted as the formidable mining magnate and capitalist of Kentridge’s earlier films, but rather as a lonely, fragile, sick and unconscious man in a hospital bed. Once he accepts his guilt for his outrages (past), he opens his eyes and starts living (present) again.

In hierdie artikel word William Kentridge se sesde film, "History of the Main Complaint" (1996), in die "Drawings for Projection"-reeks (1989-1999) ondersoek en bespreek aan die hand van ruimte en tyd: verlede teenoor hede. Die films sit die saga [sage] rondom Soho Eckstein, aartskapitalis en mynmagnaat, voort rondom sy belewing van sy drome, sy ewige skuld, sy onthou en sy vergifnis. In teenstelling met sy robuuste en formidabele verlede as mynbaas, verbeeld hierdie film Soho as ’n hulpelose, siek en bewustelose man. Wanneer hy die skuld vir sy wandade (verlede) aanvaar, maak hy sy oë oop en begin leef (hede) soos vantevore.