Enigma, 1978, 3' Formation, 1983, 9' Metastasis, 1971, 8' Mona Lisa, 1973, 3' White hole, 1979, 7', 1971 - 1983
U-matic, NTSC, son, couleur
Formation exemplifies the geometric scission of images recurrent in Toshio Matsumoto’s work. The video exhibits various ways of slicing the image, of moving the equal parts vertically or horizontally and rotating each fragment within the overall frame of the image. The entire video is made up of close-ups of the visage of renowned Japanese kabuki actor Uzaemon Ichimura who is seen carefully putting on make-up in a conventional manner by outlining the muscle features on the face with bold colour lines. The title Formation thus takes on a double meaning: it refers to the transformation process of both the images and of the appearance and character of the protagonist who will be endowed with a different personality on stage.
The beginning of the video provides a complete view of the actor’s face and gradually reveals itself to be the reflection of the face in a mirror. The double nature of the image will subsequently become multiplied as the entire image is sliced into strips that are slightly dislocated in relation to one another or simply desynchronised. Another way of multiplication reproduces a certain detail of the image so that the identical fragments, gradually revealing slight differences in their framing, are seen covering the whole screen. The process of visual disintegration, addition and multiplication is parallely enhanced with sound realised by the artist himself (according to Nanako Tsukidate in an interview conducted in January 2011). Originally, a haunting music soundtrack accompanies the ritual action of the actor making up his face. As the image gradually becomes a composite of autonomous fragments, a minimalist soundtrack resounds, acting as the counterpoint to the music. Contrary to the first soundtrack composed of sparse sounds, the minimalist soundtrack brings forth regular beats and sounds which evoke a sense of volume. A few brief moments of silence add tension and dynamism to the layered soundscape.
Having been making experimental films since the 1960s, Matsumoto represents the first generation of Japanese experimental filmmakers. As much as he forged his own approaches to the image without being influenced by Western filmmakers or artists (as he affirms), works like Formation can be compared to certain works in the Western avantgarde tradition, especially Fernand Léger’s Ballet mécanique (1924), which shows a fragmented image of a woman’s face, or Hans Richter’s abstract films in which geometric forms move in different directions and patterns inside the frame. Such abstract works of moving images take abstract or cubist painting – genres which challenge the illusion of perspective and of depth – as their model of reference. Just as in Formation, the image in constant disintegration and reproduction renders its representation unstable and points to, by means of the geometric play, the platitude of the image and echoes the indefinite character of the theatrical persona.
Sylvie Lin
