Watch: An Experiential Documentary on the Power of Translation
Translation is a process of understanding. To translate something, one must choose what survives until a clear picture emerges. Lukas Devos, a research software fellow at the Center for Computational Quantum Physics at the Simons Foundation’s Flatiron Institute, and filmmaker Danya Abt collaborated on a short film, Lacunae, to pose a question: How does the process of translation shape what it leaves behind?
The experiential documentary examines translation as a process of selection and loss using digital video noise and erasure poetry. While noise in digital video is often viewed as a flaw to be removed, Lacunae suggests that this chaotic interference is a characteristic that makes a source feel more authentic, reflecting the inherent imperfection of the natural world. The film invites viewers to consider how defining “noise” is, in fact, a way to measure detail.
This film was made as part of Symbiosis, a two-week program that pairs scientists with filmmakers to create short films. This year’s Symbiosis is aligned with the Simons Foundation’s Infinite Sums national initiative, which focuses on the beauty and ubiquity of mathematics.
Symbiosis is part of the Simons Foundation’s Researcher Engagement program, an initiative of the foundation’s Science, Society & Culture division. You can learn more and stream the films here.
