Studies in Image (de) Generation

Directed by Arthur Cantrill

"These three films are derived from "Negative / Positive on Three Images" by Baldwin Spencer, which was copied in high-contrast material to make Study No. 1. This, in turn, was copied into the same material to make Study No. 2 serially. . Then Study No 2 was used as the material to copy Study No 3, copied again in high contrast material. Each copy had more and more contrast, until in the third there was nothing gray left in the image. As a result, the original action is progressively replaced by the action of the cinematographic material. These three films together, in addition to the first two Baldwin Spencer films, were used in our film / performance piece that we did in 1977 Edges of Meaning, in which we examined some of the implications of the material."