On Snow's Wavelength, Zoom Out

A portrait and overview of the artist Michael Snow, inverting the formalism of Snow's own work to reveal a playful approach to composition. In 1967, Snow won first prize at the prestigious experimental film festival at Knokke-le-Zoute for "Wavelength." Despite its apparent simplicity, "Wavelength" had a tremendous impact on the evolution of film as a medium, and became an instantaneous avant-garde classic, setting a new standard for originality and rigor. "Wavelength" explores a temporal dimension, narrating the time and space of a New York loft. He describes the film as a continuous zoom that takes forty-five minutes to move from its widest field to the narrowest, final frame--a black and white photograph of a wave pinned to the far wall of the loft. "Zoom Out" borrows the concept of "Wavelength," but inverts the process by starting with a narrow field--the grand piano.