"Woman And Bird"
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Mar 22, 2023
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
EXT. ROADS TO TSIMSHATSUI -13:30
Sitting in a bus, Peter looks out of the window aimlessly.
PETER (V.O.): Having studied Japanese intensively this morning, I feel I need some recreation.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): This morning, I read in a newspaper that there's a special exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of Art.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The marketing theme "The Poetry of Everyday Life" is captivating.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Apparently, reality is mundane and ordinary. How can artists help ordinary people see everyday life in a new light?
Seeing "Tsimshatsui" appearing on a destination sign, Peter alights.
Act 2
INT. HONG KONG MUSEUM OF ART - LATER
1/F. Playful images on a big screen. Peter sees "Joan Miro - The Poetry in Everyday Life". We also hear playful music.
PETER (V.O.): I'm not familiar with the artist. I read that he befriended with Pablo Picasso.
Peter turns to Sage in his smart phone and types: How good was Miro?
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let Sage make a fair comment.
Getting a near-instant answer, Peter reads it.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, no, not the key player in Germany's 2014 World-cup winning team.
Having typed "The Spanish artist", Peter gets an answer, listing five famous Spanish artists.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Joan Miro is the 5th one.
We see on Peter's phone screen: Miro was a surrealist painter from Barcelona, Spain. He is known for his colourful, abstract works that often feature playing shapes and symbols.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I see.
Entering a side hall, Peter sees a big painting, largely in black and white.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What's this?
Peter checks its museum label and sees "Woman and Bird".
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Woman and Bird?
Peter studies the painting from different perspectives.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Do I see the woman's face, breast and legs?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I see one wingless bird on top left.
Turning to Sage again, Peter asks: In art, why are women and birds depicted together? He then reads the answer.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): They're depicted together as a symbol of beauty, grace, and freedom.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It also represents the connection between femininity and nature.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): While Miro's birds are often simplified to basic shapes and lines, they convey a sense of movement, joy and spontaneity.
Peter studies the painting again.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, there's another bird on bottom right.
Googling "Woman And Bird", Peter sees an image of a sculpture.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, Miro has many works on women and birds.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In Catalan, the word for a "bird" can be a slang for a man's private part.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That explains why the bird is positioned there.
Having captured some images of the painting from different angles, Peter watches other works.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Many of the works are untitled...I've to admit that I don't get their inner significance, if there're any.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): If a surrealist work reveals what's hidden, its expression is either real or unreal, and not surreal, in my view.
Act 3
EXT. ROADS FROM TSIMSHATSUI - 19:30
Sitting in a bus, Peter looks out of the window, thinking.
PETER (V.O.): Since time immemorial, humans have been procreating, recreating and creating.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We're driven by a complex mix of biological, psychological and social factors that influence our emotions, ideas and actions.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Consciously or unconsciously, we're to sustain the life force, and incidentally, enhance our quality of life in creative ways.
FADE OUT
THE END
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