In a comment I made some days ago, I referenced an interview with Afro-Caribbean/British artist Steve McQueen, who directed the critically acclaimed 2008 film Hunger (about the 1981 Irish hunger strike). The conversation centered on what his next project would be, and what medium he would use to bring it to life; his answer resonated with me – stating that, the story he wants to tell, or the message he wants to get across, will determine the medium he utilizes. So he might choose to paint a painting to tell his next story, or create a piece of music, or write a novel, etc… After all, he is an artist, right? And as Daryle pointed out in one of his comments yesterday, artists shouldn’t limit themselves to any single medium.

It’s a question I ask myself, and other filmmakers I come in contact with. Yes I’m a filmmaker, but am I not an artist? And if I am, then isn’t it in my best interest to expand my working milieu? I might actually find success where I least expect it. I think doing so also serves a secondary purpose of keeping one’s creative mind active.

I just came across a write-up for McQueen’s next project, coincidentally; and while it’s still in moving picture format, it’s certainly not your conventional narrative – rather it’s being described as a “romantic, lyrical, melancholic” visual documentation of a city; specifically Venice, Italy, and the Giardini, it’s municipal gardens.

The project, aptly titled Giardini, was selected by the British Council to represent the UK at the world’s most important, and most prestigious international art event in the world – The Venice Biennale.

McQueen’s 40-minute Giardini has been very well received and reviewed by film and art critics alike. It was apparently commissioned by the British Council, and created strictly for the Venice Biennale, where it is now on show, until November 22nd. Although, the work certainly could travel across country borders, and find its way to your local art museum where you will be able to feast your own eyes on it.

It’s worth noting that the artist has won a BAFTA (the British equivalent of the Oscars), a Caméra d’Or (award of the Cannes Film Festival for the best first feature film), a Turner Prize (an annual prize presented to a British visual artist under the age of 50), and an OBE (Order of the British Empire); and, with Giardini, he has become Britain’s artistic ambassador to the Venice Biennale.

In the meantime, watch the British Council interview with McQueen below, in which he talks about the work, his process, and shows us some scenes from Giardini.