pdx_01 (2003)

8 mins, DV - Watch/download movie (24MBs)

‘pdx_01’ is an audiovisual composition that explores the following themes: the strength within an “ebb and flow” relationship between audio and video; the relationship between video and the “space” in which it is presented; and the juxtaposition of abstract and concrete imagery as a rhetorical tool.

The main compositional technique that ‘pdx_01’ explores is the validity and strength of composing audio and visual material using an “ebb and flow” technique of synchronization. “ebb and flow” refers to a strategy that posits audio and video as being two distinct parts of a system that do not always correspond to the expectations created by one or the other. ‘pdx_01’ explores how a standard approach to sound and video relationships – e.g. hearing the sound of a door slam and seeing the corresponding image on the screen – can work in conjunction with asynchronous sound/image relationships and all the potential variants in between.

‘pdx_01’ also explores a disruption of the balance between positive and negative space, not only in the video, but in the audio as well – NomIg. focuses on the spaces between sounds and images, just as much as the relationships within the material itself.

NomIg. uses a technique of juxtaposing abstract and concrete images to enhance the audience experience and to separate the viewer from their preconceived ideas. ‘pdx_01’ is dominated by abstract imagery; however, the abstract is punctuated throughout the composition with concrete imagery. When an abstract visual composition is interrupted by the presence of a concrete image, this image then stands out within the visual ensemble and is exposed to critical examination.

Concurrently, the nature of the abstract is also put into question as one is drawn into an analysis of the relationship between the two parts. The audience finds themselves engaged in the work simply because they are encouraged to question the relationships within the material.

“A journey into diverse spaces and their respective acoustic worlds; a series of moving landscapes, imaginary territories and abstract surfaces.” FIFA - International Festival of Films on Art