Seeking Grace
Running Time: 3:30 minutes
© Sara Angelucci 2003

In watching Colin Campbell's videos as research for this project, I found myself captivated by Mildred, the woman from Malibu who is an iconic character, glamorous, elegant and mysterious.  We first encounter Mildred in a state of grief, as she recounts the story of her husband's tragic fall to his death in the Himalayan mountains.  I am at once seduced and transfixed by Mildred's elegance and inspired by her ability to maintain such grace in the face of tragedy and sorrow. 

In Seeking Grace an elegant older woman (Gina) walks calmly with a flower pot on her head, her physical balance and confidence a metaphor for the grace I seek in my own life.  Indeed, this footage was shot because Gina told me I had terrible posture and demonstrated for me her ability to walk erect while balancing a heavy object, something the nuns had forced her to do in school.  In Seeking Grace, the idea of grace encompasses but also goes beyond the notion of the body, referring to a deeper ongoing metaphysical quest.

Although I never knew Colin Campbell personally, Seeking Grace is an ode to a man who dared to open himself to us, expressing such vulnerability and grace in his work.

Commissioned by Vtape with the assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts Media Arts Commissioning Grant.