Single channel video, ProRes422, 1920×1080, 24fps, Stereo sound, 4’36” , 2015
Inaudible Footsteps is an unusual structural film constructed purely out of re-photographed color plates from historical photo-books. Hypnotically recurring images of ancient forests, mountain vistas, and flocks of sheep are set against the repeated sound of herd animals galloping across the empty landscape. As this sequence of images repeats itself at varying tempos, the viewer’s natural wish for resolution is continually thwarted by the abrupt termination and recurrence of the loop. This structural lacuna is mirrored visually by Hayama’s decision to “puncture” the surface of her imagery with a sphere-shaped aperture of colored light. As Hayama has stated, the film never allows us to reach our destination — being “on the way to somewhere” becomes the story of the film itself.