'Thaumatrope with Rose', 2020, is one of a series of flickering animated gifs that mimic the workings of the 19th century optical toy, the thaumatrope.
A thaumatrope, literally wonder turner, consists of a card disc with different images on each side. When the disc is spun on its axis the images are combined to form one. The most common thaumatropic iteration is a bird and a cage, a play on the binaries of nature and culture.
The gif, however, allows multiple images to be flashed before the viewer’s eyes. Endlessly looping, it breaks down causality and the viewer is involved in a moment without beginning or end. This is completely unlike the experience of cinema in which the expectation and fulfilment of consequence is central to its narrative. The gif, in presenting a ceaseless return produces an uneasy space for habitation, a vibrating moment in time.
Courtesy and ©Alex Pearl and Renée Pfister 2020.
#artforever #thaumatrope #iteration #thaumatropic #rotagavinii #mutlipleimages #reneepfisteraratconsultancy #therealreal #thepowerofart
For information about our services contact [email protected]