Abstract

The cinematic illusion of movement always requires a number of images. In this regard, the present article poses the question as to how far one can narrow this down, and still consider such a manifestation a meaningful cinematic experience that communicates a concise idea. Demonstrating the impact of a flicker or an electronically alternating sequence of visual impulses that arrest our attention, a thaumatrope or an animated GIF can already generate such significance. Within both the art world and avant-garde cinema, artists have found ways to maximize the ­potential of such a minimalist approach to the moving image. The discussion of what the minimal duration for filmic experience of any cultural significance could be, is approached here from a media-archaeological perspective.