Michel Gondry at Deitch Projects

Alongside the premier of his new film, Be Kind Rewind (which, by the way, has an absolutely ingenious and clever site), Michel Gondry has set up an elaborate studio where guests can film their own 5 to 15 minute short. The New York Times covers a bit of the ideas behind his setup at the Deitch as well as questioning his intentions that they are contrasting with his actual film work:

The interactive populism on display at Deitch Projects disguises the mandarin nature of the enterprise. Mr. Gondry’s project is, in fact, a big, ambitious work of conceptual art, in the vein of what the French critic and theorist Nicolas Bourriaud has called “relational aesthetics.”…

It doesn’t add up. Mr. Gondry comes off seeming confused and conflicted — if not condescending, self-serving and intellectually slippery.

I think it’s a bit hokey but it conjures up a lot of spirit his new film embodies. The Times also has a video that walks through the gallery and gets Gondry to share his take on the whole project. If you didn’t catch the trailer when it first floated around the web, you can watch it here.