Lines and Interruptions in Experimental Film and Video

This essay is an account of numerous experimental films and videos—or experimental animations—in which lines are emblematic. The focus is on contemporary works by a range of artists, but it also lights on historical precedents, offering a perspective on aspirations and concepts that have been associated with linear aesthetics. Continuous lines and vectors, which partly reflect the illusion of continuity in film and video, have often been aligned with a bold optimism orientated towards the future. In contrast, segmented lines, which evoke frames and intervals, have often signalled interruptions in the flow of moving-image media and a technological critique. ‘Lines and Interruptions’ looks at aesthetics that reflect these two poles, as well as instances in between which undermine the binary opposition of continuity/segmentation.