Page 51 - Studio International - November 1971

Synoptic loft: Xavier de Maistre, whose Voyage autour de ma never before been so handily synoptic as the
chambre must have been the first newest SoHo building. There, at no expense to
phenomenological novel, recommended his the shopper, the layout of the visible part (and
U.S. commentary them being that it saved a lot of expense. As he some of the invisible part) of the New York
method to readers for several reasons, the first of
art scene, is readily grasped. There, with free
wandered for forty-two days around his entry for all, are four floors of edification,
chamber, remarking its contents, its longitude ratification, pontification and entertainment.
and latitude, its exposures, its noises and Students of film, theatre, mathematics, sociology
silences, he instituted within himself another and, I suppose, human nature have within
voyage which took him far afield, but cost him vertical range a wealth of source material, from
nothing. De Maistre's circumscription of his which they can take off on a voyage with endless
world, which has been described for nearly two implications.
centuries as a 'charming' minor work, is in fact Follow me : A stroll down the already gallery-
a key work of literature (one of the few laden West Broadway to a handsome loft
eighteenth-century works that dared to include building, and up the first flight of stairs (there
a chapter consisting of only two lines) and is an elevator but I like stairs). The room is
certainly has hidden depths for us whose tempi dark. Four projectors, three of which are rolling.
require the synoptic view his literary theory This is the Castelli Gallery, showing in its
sponsored. opening attraction films by four of its artists.
De Maistre's cagey mapping of his Free movies are without a doubt a special
environment offers a nice precedent for the attraction and hold attention longer than mere
newest pheonomenon in art world mechanics : paintings on the walls. Attention had to be
the synoptic loft building. While it's true that held very long indeed for the serious viewer,
i Robert Morris galleries have been clustered before in single who had to move from screen to screen in an
Wisconsin 1970
16 mm black and white film (silent) 535 ft buildings on the theory that customers might be effort to see each film within itself. My own
Courtesy Leo Castelli, New York cadged en route from one to another, they have resolute decision never to move into the realm of

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