Bas Jan Ader

Broken Fall [Geometric]

In this video Ader is simultaneously breaking a natural and an artificial barrier. The tense process of falling over sideways [which I feel, is even stranger than falling forwards or backwards] makes the viewer really uneasy. The sheer pointlessness of this action and the potential pain caused by it is what gives it it's power. The awkward displacement of the figure in space relocates the line of vision. I'd like to believe that he is falling through the form next to him, not on top of it. The willpower to fall over sideways shows a strange form of multidimensional trust, as well as an acknowledgment for the form's insignificance to the situation as a whole. This piece breaks down multiple systems into very simple elements that build one brief, decisive action.

See the beautifully designed Bas Jan Ader website chronicling his sadly short career here.