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A film dealing with the relative size of
things in the universe and the effect of adding another zero?
The Eames’ film “The Powers of Ten” (1977) might
seem a jump, but I can’t help but think of these images whenever I see an
aerial photograph. Two happy picnickers somewhere in Chicago form the mid-point
of a journey to the extremes of our understanding - from the very close to the
very far, stepping up (or down) by a power of ten every ten seconds by adding
(or removing) another zero.
I evokes the feel of the planetarium: the barely grasped information, the wonder, the pure pleasure of the images rolling over you. Here the information is delivered at such a rate that it takes several watches to even hear the audio. This lonely scene, galaxies like dust, the flickers and flares of the 16mm film itself making new galaxies at 5 minutes, and additional quarks and electrons at 8 minutes...
As we approach Christmas time a nice line:
"Notice the alternation between great activity and relative inactivity", our narrator informs us...
Can't wait.
As we approach Christmas time a nice line:
"Notice the alternation between great activity and relative inactivity", our narrator informs us...
Can't wait.
1. Powers of Ten, made by the offices of Charles and Ray Eames for IBM, (1977)
