Still Moving

A collective motif that I enjoyed in the Still Moving exhibition was the photographic quality each video had; there seemed to be a juxtaposition in which each work was not necessarily a full-length film, but simply a moving picture consisting of minimal movement, a steady composition, and a single scene. The infinite loops the videos were played on added to the vibrancy of each piece and gave it new depth that may not have been achievable through a single-frame snapshot, such as in Stephen Hilyard’s Waterfall, where a man can be seen standing motionless in front of an infinitely cascading waterfall. By using minimal amounts of movement, the line between photography and video seems to be blurred by questioning what in a video should be still and what in a photo should have the illusion of movement? I also find this definition between photography and video to be blurred by the way in which movement is presented, specifically in the fluidity of the infinite loop and how it is unclear to tell where some videos start and stop. At the same time, each video has a photographic quality to it in that each video in the exhibition could be paused at any time during their duration and the composition and lighting would lend themselves to a perfect photo. Simply pausing the video would result in a wonderfully rendered, still photograph. Additionally, each scene, due to each video’s photographic quality and simple setting, is almost magical and surreal, which lends itself to encourage the audience to impose/suggest his or her own narrative to the work, inspired by their own personal feelings that arise upon viewing them.