Double Trouble

Japan, 1986

Artwork

One of the earliest works made by Callas using a Fairlight Computer Video Instrument (CVI) processor, a pioneering compositing and special effects system he utilised regularly from the mid 1980s to early 1990s. ‘Double Trouble’ is the first video made by Callas for a large exterior street screen form (in Tokyo). The image appears as though spliced into vertical halves, an array of imagery and characters appearing in double on either side of the division, and moving with alternating motion upwards and downwards. This two-frame animation technique creates two images from one checkerboard stencil which are then reversed, or asynchronously ‘mirrored’, producing an apt metaphor for cultural differences in ‘body language’ between East and West.
Notes by Rachel Kent, reprinted courtesy of the author and d/Lux Media Arts.

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Collection

In ACMI's collection

Previously on display

22 April 2019

ACMI Viewing Booths

Credits

creator

Peter Callas

Duration

00:05:45:00

Production places
Japan
Production dates
1986

Collection metadata

ACMI Identifier

B2001500

Audience classification

Mediatheque - all ages (ACMI classified)

Subject category

Digital Art

Sound/audio

Sound

Colour

Colour

Object Types

Artwork

Materials

Single channel moving image, colour and audio

Holdings

MOV file H264; ACMI Digital Access Copy - presentation

Please note: this archive is an ongoing body of work. Sometimes the credit information (director, year etc) isn’t available so these fields may be left blank; we are progressively filling these in with further research.

Cite this work on Wikipedia

If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/116708--double-trouble/ |title=Double Trouble |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=5 May 2025 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}