Special Viewing

Laurie Simmons The Music of Regret

[2005 - 2006, 35mm film (transferred to HD CAM)]
Showing time: Everyday during the exhibition, 15 minutes past the hour (Duration: 44min. 14sec.)
Place: Gallery 9 (Exhibition Area)

Since the 1970s, Laurie Simmons has created photographic works of imaginative environments, placing toys, ventriloguist's dummies and every day objects in dollhouses and settings illuminated by exquisite lighting. Humorous as well as nostalgic, her works, project on artificial stages plaintive scenes unattainable in the real world.

In The Music of Regret a comprehensive synopsis of her career thus far, her familiar subjects come to life and vividly express, more than human actors could, deep emotions of regret and desire mostly hidden in our everyday life. In this musical in 3 acts, Meryl Streep, the sole human participant, plays the part of Laurie Simmons' alter ego and reminisces about her previous love, supported by a ventriloquist's dummy. While she croons the bittersweet, comedic-melodramatic tune of "Would'a, should'a, could'a", lively colors aid in the expression of her regrets with a pathos that fills our hearts with deep despair and irresistible longing.

translation: KINOSHITA Tetsuo

The Music of Regret

2005 - 2006
35mm film (transferred to HD CAM)
duration: 44 min 14 sec.
Collection 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
©Laurie Simmons
Courtesy: Sperone Westwater, New York