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One of the most interesting artists, Peter Greenaway’s work is always an investigation of joy. His work is edgy. You’re never too sure that you haven’t been had. Your eyes love to watch, your ears to listen, but  your mind is put to sleep. A restless sleep. For this work is nothing less than the artist dreaming.

And yet. You can find Greenaway plodding. Pretentious. I am not sure. You be the judge.

Recently he had an installation called Wedding at Cana.

The fifty minute presentation parses and re-imagines Paolo Vernonese’ “Wedding at Cana.” Digital images of the painting are projected onto the walls of the refectory of  Palladio’s San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice.   The soundtrack includes dialogue of the wedding guests imagined by Greenaway. Chatter culminates in their astonishment at the miracle of Christ transforming water into wine.

Real time plays an essential part in his work. Like he was asking us to watch time. It moves like the camera. Now is change.

And then there is “The Tulse Luper Suitcases…” It is the story of the 20th century told through one man and his 92 suitcases.

I remember watching the cook, the thief, his wife and her lover and feeling like the film would go on and on. It was like high mass when I was a kid. But Greenaway’s use of ritual and and series of moments (like a moving slide show)  is mesmerizing and I would think that if an alien were making a film to explain homo sapiens to his species he would make a film something like Greenaway’s.