MAYA VANDERSCHUIT

Oceanic Drift, 2015

digital video projection, 3:13 minute loop.

Oceanic Drift, 2015, is an exploration of the body’s buoyancy in relationship to the ocean. The human form is never fully immersed in the water; instead it navigates the surface through the act of floating.

This work is informed by my previous piece Digital Iridescence, 2015, in which the body is entirely submerged in water. Oceanic Drift presents an aerial view of the figure that is filmed from a distant space above the water, whereas Digital Iridescence is filmed underwater and from a relatively close distance. These two works, read in concert with one another, are an exploration of planar space that recall Babette Mangolte’s Calico Mingling. Mangolte’s film depicts a choreographed dance from a multitude of angles–each camera angle presents a new interpretation of the dance. In the case of Oceanic Drift, the singular camera angle emphasizes the body’s movement, or drift, in equilibrium with its environment.