translation
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“Lost, is it, buried? One more missing piece?
But nothing’s lost. Or else: all is translation
And every bit of us is lost in it
(Or found – I wander through the ruin of S
Now and then, wondering at the peacefulness)
And in that loss a self-effacing tree,
Color of context, imperceptibly
Rustling with its angel, turns the waste
To shade and fiber, milk and memory.”
“Separation is painful, but so is its opposite. And if being together brings joy, then it is only proper that separation should do the same in its own way.”
“since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;
wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world
my blood approves,
and kisses are a better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers. Don’t cry
– the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids’ flutter which says
we are for each other; then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life’s not a paragraph
And death i think is no parenthesis”
“Self-control might be as passionate and as active as the surrender to passion...”
Film · Sofia Coppola's 2003 film Lost in Translation is the central piece of this compendium. It observes two jet-lagged hotel guests who connect through mutual isolation amidst Tokyo's neon-drenched chaos. Although at different places in their lives, they find themselves drawn to each other, sharing subtle moments of physical intimacy and vulnerability as they search for meaning together and apart.
Painting I · The pastel tones and dramatic use of shadow and light in our film have been compared to the works of John Singer Sargent. Here, in his early painting Luxembourg Gardens at Twilight, the bright red flowers complement the dreamy sky and contrast the dark foliage—a fitting visual metaphor for our central theme.
Music · Our film's almost-lovers share a tender moment during an unsteady yet emotive karaoke rendition of Roxy Music's More Than This. The song could be interpreted as a celebration of not needing anything more than what one already has or a bittersweet coming to terms with what may never physically actualize.
Words I · The ending of an acclaimed narrative poem by James Merrill that shares its title with our film. In the poem, the author pieces together a puzzle literally and figuratively, translating memories of his travels, experiences, and connections into both this visual and linguistic artwork.
Words II · One of Coppola's favorite books, Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima, is a tragic love story set against feudalistic Japan. This quote captures the potential of opposing yet complementary feelings of lust and loss.
Paintings II · These paintings by Elizabeth Peyton, The Kiss and Kiss (Love), echo our film's ending: the culmination of desire and the intensity of love and loneliness.
Words III · ee cumming's renowned poem since feeling is first plays with language to contemplate whether giving in to thinking or feeling leads to a more fulfilled life.
Paintings III · Visually similar to Peyton's works, these paintings — (from left to right) Andi and Leo Singing Karaoke in Tokyo, How Love Fled—and Hid his Face Amid a Crowd of Stars, Two Lips, Yes No, Henry (The Sun Stuck To Our Skin), Lips (sucked sun slips), Good Bye, Every Winter Comes Round Again And I Forget How Cold It Feels, and To Prepare A Face to Meet the Faces That You Meet — are by contemporary British artist Faye Wei Wei. Along with their descriptive titles, they feel like memories brought to life with ethereal, symbolic iconography.
Words IV · From another of Coppola's favorite works, Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham.
Paintings IV · The opening scene of our film was inspired by the first of these photorealistic paintings, Jutta, by artist John Kacere. Its inclusion here teases our tendency to over-index on the sexual, which juxtaposes the subtlety of romantic and intellectual intimacy that this compendium highlights.