The spectacle and surplus masculinity of Hollywood is hardly run-of-the-mill source material for generative art, but Canadian software artist Jeremy Rotsztain has been diligently exploring transforming cinematic convention into rich, abstract compositions for three years now. Rotsztain’s Action Painting project (first featured on CAN in fall 2009) employs scenes and sound design—’data’ from action movies—as raw material to generate abstract expressionist style animations.
“Revving Motors, Spinning Wheels” (below) is one of four videos released by Rotsztain this summer that illustrate just how far this project has come – the piece reads as a love letter to both Jackson Pollock and Jason Bourne. On close viewing the source material (culled from Ronin, The French Connection, etc.) is clearly organized thematically and the video functions as a serial examination of the stock components of definitive chase scenes. Screeching brakes, blaring sirens, lead-footed acceleration and the inevitable Ballardian-endgame all filter through the mix in clusters of topical clips.
