Animation Discussion with Reference to the Turner Reading

Samadhi by Jordan Belson looks like what I imagine doing LSD would feel like. The piece uses a lot of circular animation, vibrant colors, and sounds that make me feel uneasy. It conjures feelings of both tranquility and anxiety at the same time. The assigned reading talked about the influence of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism on western art. Ideas about the mystical aspect of reality were explored by avant-garde filmmakers like Belson, James Whitney, and Stan Brakhage. Samadhi is a perfect example of this influence.

The reading stated that "Animation is the ideal medium through which to explore the dimensions of the inner world, the 'internal truth [...].'" Samadhi is a glimpse at the soul of a person. Inspired by yoga and meditation, this short film is supposed to show how people have two sides to themselves: physical and spiritual. The physical part of a person is in the real world. The spiritual part of a person cannot be seen or visualized in any way, it can only be felt. This film shows what the spiritual side of ourselves could look like. Belson calls Samadhi a documentary of the human soul.

The hypnotic animations and unsettling audio establish a weird dichotomy that I think reflects the two different parts of a person. Samadhi is an interesting way to depict something that we cannot see and I think it does a good job at visualizing something we can't easily visualize. But I also think that it doesn't feel conceptually strong. It looks like it was made while Belson was on drugs, which with this film being made in the 1960's isn't entirely unlikely. I don't like this abstract style of animation and abstract art in general. While I recognize and agree that the film looks visually appealing and is very cool considering it was made 53 years ago, I don't think it is a particularly impactful work of art on a deeper and more emotional level. I share this same sentiment for nearly all abstract art. Abstract art, in general, doesn't elicit the same emotional response as representational art.

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