This is actually an ongoing project by a friend (produced as part of The NUUM Collective) that I saw on my Instagram feed. Part of this project shows a stacked series of ultrawide videos showing two people in a room: one is in a fixed position while the other walks forward and stops at various points in space. The visual effect is quite powerful, so I thought I’d reach out to ask about it (capturing the capture?) and find out how it was captured and some background behind its creation. Nun explains:
“This video is about reducing everything to the distance between 2 people, and what meaning can be derived from that… We’re using a positioning system that uses ultra wideband tech to track the position and orientation in space. We’re exploring the different combination[s] and permutations of distance, orientation, and sequencing.” Overall, I’m also drawn to this project for its effective use of small changes within a context of repetition–which is an idea I’ve been trying to explore through my work as well.
Nun further reflected that differences in cultural identity led to different interpretations of how the movements read when the collective examined the footage. Nun mentioned that these were preliminary findings, but that those with more Western influence tended to refer to geometry and the formal relationships (e.g. counterpoint, sequencing) in a way that was more defined/formal, while those with more Eastern influence liked to refer to the relativity over time (for example, frame 2 feeling closer because frame 1 is further) in a way that was more relational and narrative-driven. Nun confirms that they are looking to build a way to more systematically collect such themes that arise.
Finally, it was interesting to note the connection back to this class! Nun said that she’s “personally very influenced by Golan’s teaching. I’ve studied a lot of his materials — specifically these are closely related to the stuff he teaches about interpolation. Getting from point A to point B through different curves.”