Computations

Computations speculates a future when computation moves from the opaque ‘black boxes’ of our laptops and devices out into the world. In the film, Zhestkov boldly envisions these decentralized machines as lush dynamic systems, which he compellingly describes as “floating networks of small transistors—some kind of a strange computing organism.” The complex systems at the heart of Computations sway and undulate in perfect synchronization. Comprised of billions of particles, they are more than the sum of their parts—they are thinking machines that visualize, calculate, and communicate through coordinated movement and colored illumination. Evoking both supercomputers and synaptic structures, the shapeshifting forms are serene and enigmatic. Performing in space, they demonstrate how each tiny element contributes to the construction of an elegant, emergent whole. Particles rise and fall, clusters lock into place, and there is an underlying sense of order governing the ornate spatial choreography.