Official Selection

Turkey 2020
Duration: 05:05
Directed by: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi
Animation: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi
Music: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi
Production/School: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi

All kinds of natural symmetries found throughout nature are governed by fundamental geometric laws. The origin of the word ‘cosmos’ comes from Greek ‘kosmos’ in the sense of ‘ornament’. In many cultures, geometric forms used in ornaments makes the viewer sensitive to the subtle harmonies of the natural order of the world. In Circumvolution (2020), multitudes of geometric visual patterns and forms are created and rendered via a mathematical algorithm in similar fashion to ornaments (traditional geometric patterns with straight lines and curves) which are far from being a mere decoration; the form shows us that what we do not see is more significant than what we do and what we perceive refers to its underlying cause. In the symbolic language of the ornaments, geometric figure of the circle represents the primordial symbol of unity, wholeness and the ultimate source of all diversity. Geometric patterns make the perceiver aware to some degree of the underlying “code” that generated the geometry; in which the resulting patterns, creates an interface to Numinous. In other words, the geometric pattern creates a relay between the perceiver and the infinite. Throughout the ages, mystics and philosophers saw geometry as a means to contemplate and inquire the fundamental laws of nature (or divinity), a kind of emanation was often assumed since antiquity, emanation is a cosmological theory that asserts, all-things "emerge" from an underlying principle or reality. Therefore, the intrinsic qualities of geometric forms, patterns and rhythms, enables the viewer a glimpse of the implicate order of the universe. These symbolic forms implies how different levels of reality relate to one another. According to the renown physicist David Bohm, in our universe, there are only temporary dynamic structures that appear as ‘things’ within limited contexts, constantly transforming into new structures, forms, and processes, ad infinitum. Bohm, observed the behavior of entangled subatomic particles that are far apart but act as though they ‘know’ what each other is doing. He concluded that beneath the quantum level, all matter is interconnected via Schrödinger equation which is one of the fundamental algorithms of nature as far as we know it. The depth and scale of subatomic structure give no indication whatsoever of being exhaustively determined, giving way to ever greater subtlety and complexity with each deeper dive into it. Sound design Circumvolution (2020) takes the ancient notion of Musica Universalis as a conceptual basis for its sound design. Pythagoras proposed that the sun and the planets all emit their own unique hum based on their orbital movements (harmony of the spheres). Subsequently, Plato described arithmetic (number), geometry (number in space), music (number in time), and astronomy (number in space and time) as entangled studies; according to Plato, “more than anything else rhythm and harmony find their way into the inmost soul and take strongest hold upon it.” In 1619, Johannes Kepler published Harmonices Mundi and he believed that this harmony, while inaudible, could be heard by the soul. In essence, the sound design attempts to invoke a celestial music box feeling, laden with complex layers of meaning. History of the genre Many abstract oriented filmmakers like Jordan Belson, Stan Brakhage, Oskar Fischinger, László Moholy-Nagy, Harry Smith, James Whitney, John Whitney, Thomas Wilfred were keen students of theories concerning the spiritual qualities of pictorial abstraction. These systems of knowledge included; Buddhism, Cabbala, Sufism, Alchemy, Mysticism, Intoxication, Synesthesia and they often incorporated discoveries from the fields of modern science.

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