Friday 5 April 2019

On Exactitude in Science by Alan Butler at BALTIC as part of Digital Citizen – The Precarious Subject


"This two screen installation is a synchronized presentation of Godfrey Reggio's 1983 experimental film Koyaanisqatsi (1982) & Alan Butler's Koyaanisgtav (2017). Butler’s work uses the virtual worlds within popular video game Grand Theft Auto to create a shot-for-shot remake of Koyaanisqatsi. Featuring renowned music by Philip Glass, the narration-less Koyaanisqatsi presents a visual essay in slow-motion and time-lapse of the many cities and natural landscapes across the United States of America."

Koyaanisqatsi is a truly mesmorising film and Butler has enhanced this by creating a virtual remake of the entire film. It was only after a while that I realised that the film on the right was digitally created as opposed to being real life footage. The editing is seamless, and the attention to detail is faultless.



1 comment:

David said...

For me; the virtual film, however life-like, is just a pale shadow of the original artwork. It only becomes art when it is played alongside the original.

This work made me reflect more than I ever have before on The Real vs The Fake. The virtual (Fake) will always be empty and impoverished in comparison to The Real.
This is so apparent when they are placed side by side. And just how much has my immersion in different virtual worlds already affected my responses, attitudes and actions?

How much has it dulled my emotional responses to sex and violence?
More subtly, dulled my other social responses, and so impacted the quality of my social connections?
How much has immersion in the Fake affected how I value the Real, and how much I will do to protect the Real and prevent loss of the Real?