Asymptote, from the Intimacies of Geometry series, 2016

 

Medium:        16mm Ektachrome film (hand-processed), multi-plane stop-motion animation,                        water, gouache, transparencies, light, 5k digital scan with with two-channel                        narrative soundtrack

Dimensions:   1920x1080 px HD Projection, 8:08 min

 

Asymptote is the first collaborative film between Erinn E. Hagerty and Adam Savje in their developing experimental series, Intimacies of Geometry, which combines narrative soundtracks and abstract visuals to create a space for reflecting on the nature of relationships. Asymptote addresses the contradictory nature of loss, being both instantaneous and infinite. One moment or act that is fleeting may cause indelible imprints. The narration is from a first-person perspective of a female character. The voice appears to be an adult, but speaks with the phrasing of an adolescent. The verb tense shifts fluidly from past to present; to the narrator, the unfolding events are happening both long ago and in the moment. Over the course of the film, independent anecdotes from the narrator’s life are shared, evoking dualities— nostalgia and regret, engagement and disengagement, imagination and fabrication, all within the context of family. The abstract, geometric visuals act as an entrance into the space, where the viewers may complete the narration with their own story. Archetypal geometric forms may have a multitude of meanings, dependent on your personal experiences and associations. The geometric abstractions in this film resonate with Euclidian, cultural, alchemical, and religious symbols that connect and differentiate us. The title derives its name from analytic geometry, where the distance between a curve and a line approaches zero as they move to infinity. They move ever in the same direction, advancing closer, yet may never meet.

 

Through this collaboration they are synthesizing their personal viewpoints. Hagerty’s work reflects on the contradictory nature of loss, being both instantaneous and infinite; one moment or act that is fleeting may cause indelible imprints. Savje’s work considers the alchemical process of the evolution of human consciousness.