Splicetoday

Pop Culture
Dec 18, 2014, 10:08AM

Is That Important?

An 2008 A.V. Club interview with writer/director Charlie Kaufman vs. a 2014 BOMB magazine interview with artist R.H. Quaytman.

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Charlie Kaufman: What do they want me to do?

R.H. Quaytman: I don’t know. Is that important?

Kaufman: Yes, and no. Sometimes, and sometimes not.

Quaytman: I’m as frightened of randomness as anyone. It’s unbelievable.

Kaufman: But that’s not true.

***

Quaytman: You're at the mercy of the spiral which can expand or contract and there is no correct direction to look for answers, and no correct direction to read what you are apprehending.

Kaufman: But I do think there's a dishonesty in not acknowledging that you're a person with an opinion.

Quaytman: Escaping self is obviously impossible.

Kaufman: In this case, that took two years.

***

Quaytman: And then this sort of magic happens through spending the time trying to make yourself into something else.

Kaufman: But at the same time, if you leave it open enough and take away the objective of trying to manipulate people toward a certain end, which I don't try to do, you leave it open to the experience of the viewer.

Quaytman: Unfortunately, I can’t.

***

Kaufman: Obviously, we didn't build New York City.

Quaytman: Definitely. But it’s funny, a lot of people expect me to do architecture. I knew you knew about Brazilian and concrete poetry so I thought I could get information from you.

Kaufman: Well, just do whatever you want.

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