Structuring Time

This book presents a new approach to the conceptual basis of all visual art derived from his work, and while it is about making movies—the catch-all for video, film, computer graphics and anything else that may appear to move—the thrust of this book is a radical redefinition of all visual media, including traditional standards like painting. The framework these notes propose is a way of thinking about visual art that eliminates all former media in favor of a division based on our ability to see movement or change in a work of art. While most movies change and move rapidly, this understanding is equally concerned with the very slow, or apparently immobile. Produced as a result of his own experimental movies, Structuring Time draws on more than a decade’s worth of direct, practical applications of these ideas. The way Betancourt presents his understanding of media makes this book a useful guide for the beginner, and a fascinating approach for the established artist. The series of topics proceed from the very simple, almost obvious aspect of movies, and gradually elaborate a logical framework able to include everything from Hollywood and commercial TV to Bill Viola's slow-motion installations, and even LED signs. This conception of media art also presents possibilities for new developments that exceed anything that exists now.