1 Aug 2004

Synopsis

This synopsis was mailed to patrons, requesting sponsorship

Best illustrated by weather and sea condition forecasts, human comprehension of complex systems are limited to a set of generalisations offering future state calculations for vast aerial zones on a few parameters only

The immeasurable number of variables, in this case the neighbourly pressures exerted by individual molecules and suspended particles, makes it impossible even for the fastest of number crunching computers to predict weather patterns on the human scale

Such systems are often described as 'chaotic'. Like the ever shifting smoke from a cooking fire in continuous and seemingly spontaneous change. Reacting unpredictably to input. More so the smaller the dimensions of the observation

Imposing any form of order on such a system is equally impossible and all changes thereof irreversible. The great physical law of Entropy states that the degree of disorder in these systems increase over time. It's better put in Afrikaans: "Alles streef na chaos"

The rising smoke above a fire effectively marks the localised air flow. For this film we want to use markers on a fan shaped beach to capture the chaotic workings of wind and sea currents during a full tidal cycle and maybe for days thereafter

Rhythm marks time, to this effect we rely on the tide, breaking waves and flowing wind. The movie will be set to music, albeit of a structured human beat

At low tide in the morning, 750 big bright orange oranges will be placed equidistantly on the remote and mostly deserted Maasbaai beach, 200m across and 50m wide, and left to the forces of nature and interaction with the uninformed

All movement of the oranges will be captured from a high vantage point in the tower of Hoogwaterhuis to the West, another slightly lower to the East, and one roving camera

For the final product, the footage will be edited down to five minutes. Since a lot of footage will be available, it is not impossible that more than one interpretation of the experiment be produced

Oranges were selected for the colour contrast they offer compared to the blue hues and whites of the beach. They are buoyant and weightless in water, floating semi submerged, allowing a slippery grip to both air and sea currents. Being organic, the experiment will be completely environment friendly. Lemoene's name, Afrikaans for oranges, has nothing to do with it.