Send in the clones

Ever since that cloned sheep, Dolly, appeared on the scene, I have been terrified of what precisely that incredible technology might bring forth. The very idea that cloning is no longer the froth of science fiction, and that human duplication might not be as far off as we think, sets my mind spinning on a path that I truly fear to tread.

That being said, the idea has begun to take root in my disturbed mind and I find myself more willing to explore the possibilities than I care to admit.

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Two thumbs up

September always brings memories of notebooks and chalk and heavy texts filled with fascinating facts. As the new school year begins, you can continue lifelong learning with some films and books to expand your understanding of this vast and complex world.

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Opus Jazz

We spend four nights in a gutted building in Red Hook, Brooklyn filming “Statics,” the second movement of “Opus Jazz.” We’re on the sixth floor of a building with no walls and a 360-degree view. The Manhattan skyline stretches in the distance, the sun sets behind Statue of Liberty. Meant to be renovated but postponed, the building remains empty, its history, a mystery.

When it is dark and we’re ready to shoot, Robert Prince’s jazzy score echoes and the skyline twinkles in the background of the floating steadicam shot, as six dancers perform Jerome Robbins’ original choreography between large concrete pillars. They leap, slide and roll, kicking up dust and debris—over and over—my feet hurt just standing.

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