MM: FIRST OF ALL I WOULD LIKE TO
THANK YOU FOR THE BEAUTIFUL AND
VULGAR (IN A GOOD WAY) VIDEO
CALLED "FREIGHT" YOU SEND ME.
IT GAVE ME THE FEELING OF THOSE
YOUNG MARLON BRANDO LOOK A LIKES
LIKE IN THE MOVIES "OVER THE EDGE"
AND "THE OUTSIDERS": KICKING
TRASHCANS AND HAVING FIGHTS.
IT ALSO MADE ME THINK ABOUT YOUNG
SUICIDALS, NOT ON A DOWN WAY BUT
MORE ON A WAY LIKE A SMITH SONG,
WITH A CRITICAL LUST FOR LIFE.
A UNRECOGNISABLE BOY WITH A HEAVY
LOADED TRAIN RUNNING THROUGH HIS
HEAD, IT ALREADY SOUNDS LIKE A
MORRISEY LYRIC DON'T YOU THINK?
WHAT I WAS WONDERING, WHAT WERE
YOUR THOUGHTS DURING THE MAKING
OF THIS MOVIE?
PL: THANK YOU. I MADE THIS A WHILE
AGO IN MARFA AT THE CHINATI
FOUNDATION IN TEXAS ON A RESIDENCY.
ANYWAY THIS TRAIN RUNS THROUGH
THE LANDSCAPE A FEW TIMES A DAY
AND THIS MOMENT THAT WAS INTENDED
TO BE A SCENE BECAME THE WORK.
SO IT WAS A REACTION TO MY
SURROUNDINGS REALLY. IT IS KIND OF
MAKING THE MOST OF WHAT YOU HAVE,
A ATTEMPT TO SOMETHING THAT CAN'T
BE COMPLETED. ALL THE VIDEOS I HAVE
BEEN MAKING SEEM TO BE
TRANSFORMING STILL IMAGES
SOMEHOW TO ILLUSTRATE NEW
THOUGHTS OR IDEAS. MAYBE LIKE A
KISS OF LIFE OR SOMETHING.
MM: YOUR WORKS LOOK LIKE THAT THEY
ARE MADE VERY SPONTANEOUSLY, HOW
SPONTANEOUSLY OR OVER THOUGHT
DO YOU ACTUALLY WORK?
PL: I DON'T THINK I OVER THINK THINGS
BUT I THINK HARD WHEN THEY ARE
DONE SO I TAKE THINGS APART A LOT,
I DO WORK VERY INTUITIVELY, I THINK
INTUITION IS MADE OF FORGOTTEN
MEMORIES I FOUND THAT WERE
WRITTEN DOWN THE OTHER WAY IN MY
NOTE BOOK, AND I THOUGHT IT MADE
SENSE SOMEHOW. IT IS GREAT WHEN
WORKS ARE REFLECTED IN OTHER
WORKS FROM A DIFFERENT PERIOD,
THAT'S LIKE A REFLECTION IN WATER,
A REFLECTION IN NATURE, IDEAS
FLOWING.
MM: YOUR WORKS REFERENCE QUITE
A LOT TO QUEERS TODAY AND THE
QUEER HISTORY, I WOULD LIKE TO
KNOW AS A ONLINE 'MONUMENT
MUSEUM' WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE
ABOUT THE GAY MONUMENTS (IN
AMSTERDAM THERE IS A GAY
MONUMENT, IN BERLIN YOU HAVE THE
GAY HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MADE BY
ELGREEN & DRAGSET FOR THE GAYS
WHO DIED DURING THE SECOND WORLD
WAR. IN NEW YORK YOU HAVE THE GAY
LIBERATION MONUMENT BY GEORGE
SEGAL AND THERE IS A GAY MONUMENT
IN SARAGOSA) DO YOU CONSIDER
THOSE MONUMENTS AS IMPORTANT
FOR THE ACCEPTANCE OF GAY PEOPLE
NOWADAYS?
PL: THE QUEER HISTORY IS IN THE
WORK, I DID RESEARCH WHEN I WAS
DEFINING MYSELF WHEN I LEFT HOME,
IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ME
THOUGH THAT THE WORK, ALTHOUGH IT
IS VERY INFORMED BY A GAY
EXPERIENCE, IS NOT CONFINED BY
THAT, I DON'T THINK IT IS. I HAD TO LOOK
THE MONUMENTS UP ONLINE, I LIKE THE
AMSTERDAM ONE, IT'S A TRIANGLE AND
IT APPEARS TIDAL SO I LIKE THE USE OF
NATURE AND SYMBOL, LIKE TWO ENDS
AND IN BETWEEN THERE IS EVERYBODY
ALL DIFFERENT, IT'S OPEN AND
FORWARD LOOKING OUT INTO THE
WATER INTO THE FUTURE. I LIKE HOW
LITERAL THE GEORGE SEGAL
SCULPTURE IS, I KNOW THIS ONE, IT'S
BY STONEWALL BAR AND THEY HAD TO
BE VERY LITERAL ABOUT THERE RIGHTS
SO TO ME IT SEEMS APROPRIATE. IT'S
STRAIGHTFORWARD AND SIMPLY
HANGING OUT.
I THINK THAT MONUMENTS ARE AN ACT
OF RESPECT FOR HISTORY AND IT IS
GOOD TO SEE GAY PEOPLE AND THE
STRUGGLE BEING ACKNOWLEDGES AND
RESPECTED IN A STRONG AND
PERMANENT WAY. IT'S KIND OF
OVERWHELMING TO THINK ABOUT,
CONSIDERING MONUMENTS AND GAY
OPPRESSION AND THEN THE TWO
THINGS TOGETHER. IT'S BEEN LIKE
SOME ETERNAL WAR FOR GAY PEOPLE
ALL OVER THE WORLD, THE
MONUMENT'S YOU MENTIONED ARE IN
COSMOPOLITAN CITIES. I DON'T KNOW
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THERE WAS A
GAY MONUMENT IN MY HOMETOWN.
I MEAN YOU HAVE PEOPLE ON
TELEVISION AND IN POP CULTURE THAT
ARE VERY VISIBLE AND BELOVED,
THEY ARE KIND OF GAY MONUMENTS,
"A LIVING SIGN". IT'S A INTERESTING
QUESTION, SOMEBODY COULD LIKE A
BOOK. I THINK PERHAPS GAY PRIDE IS
KIND OF AN APPROPRIATE MONUMENT
FOR GAY PEOPLE, MARCHING FORWARD.
MM: WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT THE
TERM 'MONUMENT' MEANS ON A
PSYCHOLOGICAL WAY?
PL: I DON'T KNOW, IT'S A MARKER?
SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS IN LIFE IS
DEFINITIVE THAT THEN EVERYTHING
ELSE MUST MOVE AROUND, LIKE IN A
TOWN YOU CAN ACKNOWLEDGE THE
MONUMENT OR NOT AND SOMETIMES IT
GETS IN THE WAY AND YOU HAVE TO GO
AROUND IT. MAYBE IT IS A MOMENT IN
TIME WHEN YOU SAY THAT IS DONE WITH
FROM THIS POINT THERE IS ONLY
FORWARD.
PAUL LEE IS REPRESENTED BY
PERES PROJECTS LOS ANGELES AND
BERLIN.