Primal is an abstract animation made directly onto unprocessed fogged negative by rubbing and scraping the film and releasing its light. The sounds are made by rustling materials against the microphone.

Primal

Perforations made directly into 16mm black leader attempt what Sitney describes in relation to Breer’s 70 as ‘five-frame holds’, whereby methods used to control the movement of onscreen forms have the effect of retarding motion. Small Things confronts the purely plastic problems that persist in the manually made film, of registering marks in the same place over a series of frames. At the same time it does not discourage the interpretation of these forms as a gathering, not so much of particles, but rather of a swarm or a murmuration.

Small Things Moving in Unison

Conceived in relation to both the rapid decline of flying insects and the high recurrence of animation, Not (a) part is handmade or contact film that works with the subject and/or material of flying insects. Numerous dead bees found on walks were positioned directly onto negative film and contact printed. Occupying approximately 24 frames they run at a rate of one bee per second. The length of the film is determined by how many specimens are found over a specified period of time.