Wall of Death

In Wall of Death, Brambilla captures a motorcyclist riding inside a wooden drum, balancing centrifugal force and gravity. Filmed with rotating cameras and edited into progressively shorter motion loops, the video creates the illusion of continuous motion.

The editing technique was inspired by the Kinetoscope films popular during the time the act was widely performed in the 1930’s. The rider appears caught in a never-ending circle where his ability to remain upright is based on never stopping. Wall of Death explores the relationship between time and speed in a world dependent on constant motion.

Single-channel video. Black and white, sound. 2m40s.