James Charlton

Catch 32 Bit (2013)

2 min 58 secSingle channel / Digital Video / Colour / Sound

"In Catch 32 Bit a ball is thrown against a wall and caught again thirty-two times. The arm is shown disembodied by the framing of the camera. It is an arm not a specific arm. The body it belongs to is never declared, although it is in fact the arm of the artist. The video starts with a blank wall indicated by the optically distorted corner towards the left of the screen. The footage is highly compressed and the almost monochrome image is reminiscent of pre-digital video works. Only when an arm enters the frame on the right of the screen are we aware that the video is in slow motion. The hand holding a ball slowly primes itself to throw. In the moment preceding the release of the ball the video cuts - we hear a dull thud and the ball is suddenly hitting the wall on the left and bouncing back. Until now the video has been silent. No sooner has it bounced back than the video cuts again and suddenly the ball is back in the disembodied hand. This cycle is repeated thirty-two times, punctuated by the sound of the ball hitting the wall."

(i) 32-bit is a reference to the basic unit of information in computing.
(ii) In particular Vito Acconci’s Centers (1971) is brought to mind.

Artist's statement

Other works by James Charlton

CIRCUIT is the
leading voice
for artist moving image
practice
in Aotearoa New Zealand,
distributing works,
critical review and
dialogues
which reflect our unique, contemporary
South Pacific context.