The OG screensaver that will rewire your brain in 7 minutes flat.
John Whitney's pioneering work of computer animation, Arabesque, from 1975. This flowing, abstract short film is a wonder to behold, a work of art. Like many other computer graphics pioneers, this film suggests roots in psychedelics and spiritual quests as much as engineering and mathematics. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2007.
Direction
Whitney invented the tools AND the language.
Visual Effects
Every frame had to be calculated by hand. Respect.
Director
John Whitney Sr.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Whitney used a WWII anti-aircraft gun computer to calculate these curves—literally weaponry repurposed for art.
This film directly inspired the slit-scan 'stargate' sequence in Kubrick's 2001, though Whitney wasn't credited.
US
