Pendulum, Ad Infinitum

Video cameras are marvelous things. They have been bringing us the joys of television and cinema for years. They’ve even managed to make an appearance in the art world and Portable stake their lives, their loves and their reputations on documenting the glorious results of their use on the internet from people right across the world.

Computer artist Jonathan Brainin is here to use the video camera to seriously mess with your head. This clip was taken as part of his ongoing work on a kinetic video pendulum. What Brainin does is set a camera up in front of two monitors; one is swinging back and forth like the pendulum on a clock and the other is still. The camera feeds directly into the two monitors so what is displayed is video feedback; a video which is projected and slightly delayed with each reproduction. It is almost like the hall of mirrors scene in Citizen Kane, only with a couple of computer monitors instead of Orson Welles.

Brainin must be breaking some kind of fundamental law of physics with this contraption. Either that or he seeks to hypnotize us. Nevertheless, our love for the video camera makes us willing guinea pigs.

Details

• Release Date

  18 February 2012

• Art by

  Jonathan Brainin