Before Creation

Before Creation

U. A. Playhouse, New York 1978

Hiroshi Sugimoto sets up his 8x10 view camera in the balcony of an old movie theatre, opens the shutter at the starting credits, and keeps it open for the duration of the film. If all goes according to plan, this time-exposure will result in an image which describes the elegant detail of the theatre's architecture. and transforms the movie screen into both a tabula rasa and a saturated white rectangle, glowing with the accumulation of two hours worth of moving film stock. Add a simple, elegant design, echoing the black and white of Sugimoto's image, and the designer has a wonderful visual metaphor for the act of creation. KB