Paul Sharits (1943-1993)

We are looking beyond symbolism: to iconic/indexical

Sign that Indicates absence of expected element in images continuum and that stands for the micro-level of absece between each frame

To properly signify what is not visible-

The signifier should also be non-visible-one film frame of black is not observable as such but it (depending on its content in the row of film frames it occupies) noticeable; its duration is much more noticeable than the time duration of absence of light cause by one blade of a shutter moving at 16 fps. It can suggest its existence. Any more than 1 f of blk in a sequence  (e.g. 2f of b on 3 f of bk) is perceivable as discrete absence of light- it became itself, refers to itself/ whereas if only suggests itself. It is this state of “suggesting” which we will see enables the single black frame to point to something more general than itself on “has more “darkness-in-general.”

The interface phasing as a pointer