Contemplation

Last night I watched Stephen Poliakoff's "Friends and Crocodiles" on BBC1. It was completely riveting and very nearly as good as "Shooting the Past". It's very difficult to put your finger on just why his work is so good but I'm of the opinion that it has a lot to do with the fact that the entire production is completely in one person's control. As writer/director, Poliakoff is able to make the play be exactly what he wants and is able to completely realise his own vision. In that respect, his work often reminds me of Peter Greenaway (but that's another blog entry).

Anyway, after the play, I turned over to look at the Poliakoff profile on BBC4. When talking about his next production "Gideon's Daughter", due to be screened in February, Poliakoff lamented the demise of contemplation. His contention is that the modern world has no time for contemplation and that is why we are becoming less able to make decisions for ourselves. We rely on others to tell us what is good, what works etc. Politicians no longer rely on their own sense of what is right, they use focus groups and "advisers" to tell them.

This made me wonder how much contemplation goes into the Masterplanning process. As students, do you look for answers elsewhere now (because that is the norm) or do you create your own answers through contemplation? Answers on a postcard...