42 Cuts is a work which creates a conflation of real and virtual space and time.
The sculpture both consists of and at the same time, provides documentation of a mechanical sculpture created solely for the purpose which its name suggests. From a single scene from Kihachi Okamoto's 1966 film The Sword of Doom, I have extracted a single visual element from one of the most climactic moments of the film.
In extracting this single element, directional snowfall, the original timing of the film has been retained throughout 42 Cuts. Each "cut" is represented and recontexualized through analogue means in the form of a small rotating wooden sculpture, each of which has been carefully painted to match theoriginal cut for which it corresponds to. The careful arrangement of each wooden sculpture allows for a simulated snowfall which corresponds to a single cut when viewed through the lens of a video camera. Suspended in the air, the entire rotating structure houses 42 simultaneous "cuts" which are all constantly in individual motion. The viewer is invited to experience this reimagining of the film's climactic scene by exploring the 10' ring of foam, wood, and plastic which comprises the sculpture, though another element is at play. The video feed which focuses on a single "cut" is directed at an offsite monitor, which the viewer may also encounter and view the "film" in its original structured timing.
Exhibitions:
Natural | Unnatural; Shot Tower Gallery, Columbus, Ohio. 2011.
Times II; Aurora Picture Show, Houston, Texas. 2010. Curated by Mary Magsamen & Stephan Hillerbrand.
Magnetocorpus; The Silver Image Gallery, Columbus, Ohio. 2010.
storyboard