Nummer Negen is the product of time-lapse photography. Compiled to convey the passage of a full 24 hours in just 9 minutes, the image depicts Guido van der Werve's performance of standing at the North Pole for a day. The figure remains centered, the frame also remains constant. The sun traces an arch over van der Werve's figure as the audience allows those nine minutes of viewing to account for a full historical day. The mechanics of this interaction are nearly identical to the viewer's experience of Wesely's MOMA time-lapse images.
To view a youtube clip of this work, click here.
In the center of the frame there is a large icebreaker plowing through an unending expanse of frozen water. In front of that icebreaker, there is a small dark figure. The person seems to be walking just ahead of the ship, completely dwarfed as they are framed by the white of ice breaking at the boat's bow. For ten minutes and ten seconds, the audience is held suspense: will the trudging figure be overcome by the cold and the ship? This is Guido Van der Werve.
The frame is constant, yet even though the figure continues to approach the camera, their size remains relatively unchanged. This illusion reminds us of the power of the camera.
To view a (unfortunately low-quality) youtube clip of this work, click here.
