I am really excited to share today’s installment of E-Pastiche— it comes courtesy of a recommendation, and with it a Q+A with a friend and artist I admire, Emily Miller. This is now the second, in a series of people’s picks that really get at what E-Pastiche is all about! One, it makes it so the film-inspiration is more organic, someone else is choosing so I’m not picking with something to make already in mind ;). And two, it allows me to get a glimpse at how the circle of consumption/inspiration/creation goes for others— the goal of this newsletter and something I find fascinating! So without further ado, let’s get into the pick!
Wings of Desire is a bittersweet portrait of human life as seen through the eyes of omnipresent angels. The invisible (except to children) angels live among the people, listening to their thoughts and recording the moments of beauty inherent to humanity. The story, set in divided Berlin, centers on one angel in particular, named Damiel. We follow him through the streets, getting to hear the inner thoughts of those he gets near to, and appreciating the depth he finds, and what he notices. He soon finds reason to want to live the life of a human, with all it’s pain, suffering, and beauty: he falls in love with the beautiful Marion, a trapeze artist. It made me feel so many things— and feel so glad to be alive to feel it all!
A Question & Answer with Emily Miller
What makes Wings of Desire stand out as a favorite film?
There is a patience to this movie that I love, it moves slowly and is more about being and not doing.
I love the angels as witnesses - their devotion to paying attention. As viewers we become angels alongside them. There is so much space in the pacing of the movie, it allows you to consider the questions it asks, “Why am I me and why not you? Why am I here and why not there? When did time begin and where does space end?”
What do you find visually compelling about it?
I love the seen vs. unseen of the movie. Angels walking through apartment buildings seeing everything, hearing everyone’s thoughts. It almost feels more like listening to music, or turning a dial tuning into snippets of the radio. The way the camera moves through the city, from person to person, it feels less passive than most movies. There is an element of participation - less of an escape from life and more like watching life itself.
I love The use of color too, in a mostly black and white film- there are things we the viewer see that the angels cannot. (The scene where the fallen angel, Damiel, is seeing color for the first time - asking a stranger excitedly the name of each color he sees painted on The Berlin Wall - it makes me cry every time.)
The film is so sensual (as in awareness of the senses). When the angel falls in love - he imagines what it would feel like to feel - “to have your fingers blackened by a newspaper… to take off your shoes and wriggle your barefoot toes” It’s so tactile. I imagine this is what it feels like after watching John Cage perform one of his symphonies of silence, where you leave the performance and suddenly you hear all the sounds of the city anew around you. You come out of this movie so aware of being alive, seeing everything for the first time like a child.
Is there a special memory you connect to watching this film?
A boy I dated in college showed me this movie, because he said I reminded him of the trapeze artist. Still the greatest compliment I’ve ever received in life! We didn’t work out, but it started my deep love of Wim Wender’s sensibility! He has two movies on my top ten list!
How does watching movies inform your own art practice?
I went to school for illustration, so I love to think in story, and watching movies is probably my favorite way to consume stories. There’s something about sitting alone in the dark in a theater for two hours, a solitary experience shared with other strangers, each coming out slightly changed at the end. I’m really jealous of filmmakers ' way of holding someone's attention for that long.
What art that you consume has the greatest impact on the art you make?
It's probably children's book literature - there's a "here and now" element to them that is just so beautiful, because familiar things are still so exciting to kids.
I just want to create art that grounds you or makes you pay attention to what's already in front of you. Like Peter Falk (A Former Angel) says in the movie, “To smoke, and have coffee--and if you do it together, it’s fantastic. To draw, and when your hands are cold you rub them together ... “ The list of things to love in life is long.
Last thing - I love that the angels all hang out in the wings of the Library.
Emily is an illustrator local to Nashville. She’s got a great eye and lots on offer! I am inspired and encouraged by being in her company and recommend her work and newsletter too!
Now what to sew? The angels of Wings of Desire all wear long wool coats, and that was my initial thought as I sat thinking about what to make for this weeks newsletter. There is a long military style coat in my closet that doesn’t get worn as it’s quite over-sized and I had the idea to alter it to fit, however, alterations of that intensity can be quite a bit harder than just making something from scratch. I toiled around with it and wasted some time, but eventually had to head back to the drawing board and think of something else…
A very sweet moment when Damiel has become human is when he trades in his uniform, his long gray trench coat for something with a little more personality from the antique shop. He finds a fun and funky bomber that is patterned and colorful and reminds me of Woolrich blankets. So jumping off that point (ah ha! I have a blanket!), but made it easier on myself by getting out of the realm of coats and into an easier silhouette that also features throughout the movie— a bathrobe.
The blanket is one I bought from Goodwill a few years ago, a cotton jacquard weave (where the design is in the inverse on the back side) with a rose motif. It still had a tag on it, $5— not bad for a new robe! I went for the easy road with a vintage pattern I had in my stash. The blanket was not quite enough yardage, so I had to get a little creative. I shortened the length and pieced whatever remained for the collar and belt. The result is this funky little number to pop on for chilly mornings in the kitchen.
I hope you enjoyed this installment of E-Pastiche! Very thankful to be introduced to a movie that so thoroughly charmed and moved me. Hope you give it a watch! Or simply enjoy this sweet poem, "Song of Childhood" by Peter Handke, that the movie features :)
Super cute! I love the colors and flowers!