Spinoza/Ongodist

2o21, 11min, Super-8mm projection print, 50m, 18fps, 1.48:1, colour, magnetic sound
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Showcased in 2o23 at Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona–Programa Xcèntric; Anthology Film Archives (New York);
in 2o22 at EXF.F tage des experimentellen films Frankfurt (SEP);
in 2o21 at Facultad BBAA, Cuenca (FEB); Blitz#34, Zumzeig, Barcelona (FEB); La Casa Encendida, Pasajes Filmadrid, Madrid (MAY); (S8) Mostra de cinema periferico, A Coruña (JUN); Cinéma La Clef, Paris, Revue Les Saisons (JUL); VideoEX, Zürich (OCT); Festival de Cinéma Differents et Experimentaux de Paris, Collectif Jeune Cinéma (OCT); FRACTO Experimental Film Encounter, Berlin (NOV)
The film focuses on Baruch Spinoza as a lens maker, dried fruit and nuts trader and a free-thinker (ongodist in old Dutch), trying to draw several associations between Spinoza’s lens grinding machine (featured in Spinoza Museum in Rijnsburg), some daily objects of his time (also displayed in the museum), the film camera as a lens-based machine, an old edition of his Ethica and a set of sounds recorded on location. As for the sound, old magnetic pre-striped Super 8 Kodachrome stock was used and then incorporated unprocessed.
Baruch Spinoza to Henry Oldenburg, 20.xi.1665:[…] Huygens continues to be completely occupied with polishing lenses. He has constructed a rather elegant instrument for this purpose, and he can also use it ·as a lathe· for making the lenses. But I still do not know what progress he has made with this, and to tell the truth I don’t much want to, because I know from experience that no instrument can polish lenses as well, and with as little risk of error, as can be done by a free hand. I don’t know anything for sure about the outcome of his work with pendulums, or about the timing of his move to France. […]