“Some artists use a paintbrush, I use a film crew,” he said.
It was a wonderful line, but his larger point was more affecting. He spoke about the importance of continuing to make art, particularly now, and about wanting to pass that belief on to his children.
Seated nearby were Timothée Chalamet and members of the casts of his films. I found myself looking around the room and thinking about the extraordinary concentration of talent gathered in one place. Vija Celmins, Denis Villeneuve, Al Pacino, Ed Ruscha: These are people who have spent their lives taking creative risks and changing the way we see things. There was something rather moving about sitting among them. For all the sequins, diamonds, and elaborate gowns, this was ultimately an evening celebrating people who had devoted themselves to making something that didn’t exist before.
After dinner, we were invited back outside for Rosé’s performance. Paris Hilton introduced her with an enthusiastic declaration of “That’s hot!” followed by “Sliving,” which felt like an appropriate transition from the intellectual rigors of the evening into the after-dark revelry. As we made our way outside, servers circulated with cotton candy, meringues, and miniature metal cups of caramel corn.
Devon and I made our way across Urban Light one last time, taking photographs beneath the lamps. She taught me how to use Burst mode on my phone, which was the most useful thing I learned all evening.
There were whispers of an after-party at Eva Chow’s house. I briefly considered going, then weighed the prospect against the fact that I was tired, had already spent several hours in a corseted state of social alertness, and was supposed to go home and write this very piece. Thankfully I have grown out of the kind of FOMO that comes with knowing a party is happening somewhere in Los Angeles without you. I headed home to crawl in bed with my cat.
On the drive back, I found myself thinking about Villeneuve’s speech. It is easy to get swept up in the spectacle of an evening like this. The clothes, the jewelry, the famous faces, the endless choreography of who is sitting with whom. But every so often, you’re reminded why these people are interesting in the first place.
After his speech, I will make it a point to see the final installment of Dune next month, and I can’t wait to see what he creates next. For now, I had a purple satin dress to hang up, photographs to look through, and a story to write. I fell asleep thinking about art, ambition, and all the things I might make if I were brave enough. All in due time.