Conversation by Lenka Clayton

Conversation is one way of making a connection with others. Lenka Clayton has made a film about this concept. People – they are all British - are just sitting in front of the camera. You can see two separate frames next to each other which alternatively change in the beginning, but later on they start talking - let say judging - each other.

“He looks tired and his eyes are red. It seems he has problems”, says an Asian looking woman about a man with messy hair. A young girl with a headband on her forehead and chewing something says: “He has a very strange appearance and rotting teeth,” and the mentioned man says about the same girl: “She looks so girlish and chews when she talks.”

You can not understand whether they are face to face or even see each other or not, but there is kind of philosophy behind that; it’s the director’s cleverness to put you as a spectator in a situation that, consciously or unconsciously, makes you judge them too.

We do judge people every moment. My impression was that when these people told what just came to their mind, their judgement mostly was based on what everybody might recognize at first glance. I believe that eyes can talk; when you want to talk to somebody you need eye contact, but you can’t judge people just on their appearance.

Ladan Zarei