A resounding rhythmic noise can be heard prior to entering an isolated room. The space itself is unexpectedly nearly void of visual stimuli. The room’s only illumination is provided by a large video projection on the wall. The video is divided into two displays vertically stacked one on top of the other. The projection is of an eight-minute video on loop. At first, the displays appear to be playing identical videos that are out of sync. Upon closer investigation it becomes apparent that although the videos are identical, one is actually being presented in reverse. The content of the video is an individual (myself) typing vigorously on a 1930’s portable Underwood typewriter. Each word is voiced aloud as I strike each key. I continuously type:

 

I.EXIST.HERE.NOW.I.EXIST.HERE.NOW.I.EXIST.HERE.NOW.

I.EXIST.HERE.NOW.I.EXIST.HERE.NOW.I.EXIST.HERE.NOW.

 

This action is captured from several camera angles revealing the vastness of the empty room in which I type, details of my mouth voicing each illocution, my fingers striking each key, and the letters being driven into the paper. The video linearly captures the use of an ink ribbon through its lifetime and beyond its failure. The words begin bold and distinct, gradually fading, and concluding as inkless impressions in the paper. This process (after edit), start to finish, utilizes 4 1⁄2-minutes of film. Immediately upon completion, the footage seamlessly begins in reverse, eventually ending where it began. For explanatory purposes we will call this segment (beginning to end back to beginning) a “cycle.” This “cycle” as a whole is then restricted to a loop creating a seamless/endless video. Because both films are identical in length, one segment is always ending exactly when its opposite is beginning. When the two versions of the film are presented side by side, a visual undulation becomes readily apparent.

 

In contradiction to the dimly lit room, the auditory stimulus is prevalent, even invasive. The two soundtracks mesh together creating a daunting audio installation. The monotonous strike of each key is tainted by the skewed audio coming from the film in reverse. The intensity in which this soundtrack is presented makes it a noticeably important aspect to the work.