Woody Vasulka

The Matter, 1974

The visual and aural pattern in The Matter is created by the waveform generator as it is displayed on the screen of the Scan Processor. (b) "In The Matter, as an example, generated sine, triangle, and square waves are used to reshape the display raster, and the image of the dot pattern alters accordingly into analogous waveshapes. The altered Rutt-Etra image must then be recorded by a second camera pointed at its display screen, in order to impart the proper TV timing information that allows us to review the image on a standard monitor." (1) The waveform that emerges with vertical aberration of horizontal scan lines is also a way to demonstrate the variability of time and energy in video. Waveforms are another possibility for multiplying the demonstrable functions of video, especially with regard to presenting time as space. "Waveforms are normally an acoustic product, but when you create them as frames you can deal with them as image objects." (W.V.)

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(1) John Minkowsky, "Five Tapes-Woody and Steina Vasulka" in Program Notes for The Moving Image State-Wide: 13 Tapes by 8 Videomakers. Programmed and distributed by Media Study/Buffalo, op. cit., p.[3].