In a Tub
Poem by Amy Hempel
Directed by Ryan MacDonald

In a Tub is simple yet captivating. The poem offers a solution to our fast-paced world. Found footage of a family vacation is interlaced with Ryan MacDonald’s images. What appeals to me is the use of that crackling noise that one hears on an old LP that has been played over and over since childhood. The imagery is old and fragile, which is visually appealing. The footage is compromised, scratchy, damaged and blurry, and the saturation is high. This gives the work an abstract quality that so many other poetry videos miss.

Amy’s reading of the poem is a bit robotic, but I find her pacing a luxury. I am impressed with the fact that she is alone and searches for places where one can be comfortable, even if it’s interrupted by the goings-on of the surroundings. We can still observe our lives as if we were in a film, or in this case a video. And In a Tub is all about observation and its relationship with water and silence, which at times can be very soothing and is probably the most important aspect, hence the title.

The poem was commissioned for the Juniper Literary Festival, 2012.

Hat-tip: “Poem as Screenplay: Six Video Collaborations“