exist

“Well you stand there, stand there with the nightshade
Her dripping ripping down your hands
And you ask me, ask me about the lightning
And the lady, lady, lady she understands
It’s a dream for the future and the water for the sands
And the strangeness is wandering
Through many foreign lands”

“My eyes were already habituated to the texture of decay, so I thought that I had passed back into the circle of light.”

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film · martha marcy may marlene by sean durkin is a didactic tale of existence within a cult and the reality orbiting it. our protagonist's intentions and sentiments elude us–and those around–her as we (perhaps wrongly) empathize with her despondent state.

paintings · these works by lyrical abstraction painter ronnie landfield who got his start in the late sixties. amongst these works is diamond lake which was his first major work sold in in 1969.

words i · from jackson c. frank’s song that echoes throughout our film, marcy’s song.

photos · for many, francesca woodman represents the mystery of youthful female despair and sexuality. the organized drama of her photos mimics our other two tales, overshadowed by her untimely death.

words ii ·  emma cline's 2016 novel the girls depicts a similar dual look at cult existence, albeit through a more reproachful but equally evocative lens.

music · haunting and looming, cease to exist is written and sung by notorious cult leader charles manson.