“Yantra”
Date
circa 1957
Credits
Format
Media
"American experimental filmmaker James Whitney created Yantra over a period of eight years (1950-1958) by punching pinholes in a 5 x 7 inch card and painting tiny dots on another card below; this process was repeated for each frame. Originally conceived as a silent film, Yantra was later paired with an electronic composition entitled Cain and Abel by the Dutch composer Henk Badings. The title of Whitney’s film is a Sanskrit word with a fascinating double meaning: it can signify either 'instrument,' 'machine,' or a mandala-like pattern, either real or imagined, which serves as an object of focus for meditative practice. This polysemic ambiguity is fitting for Whitney’s film, which employs modern technological means to create states of spiritual ecstasy." —https://sound-art-text.com/post/76738796429/james-whitney-yantra-1958-music-by-henk
