’21-87′: Arthur Lipsett’s monumental experimental masterpiece
In 1977, scientists attached a special data unit called ‘The Golden Record’ to the Voyager spacecrafts in hopes that they would reach another civilisation out there in the vast emptiness of the cosmos. This record was a collection of images and sounds that were meant to represent the unimaginably nuanced nature of our existence and history on Earth. I, for one, maintain that they could have saved themselves a lot of work if they had just sent Arthur Lipsett‘s 21-87 instead.
One of the most influential filmmaking talents of the 20th century, Canadian auteur Arthur Lipsett had a thoroughly original approach to cinema which eschewed any traditional definitions that audiences were familiar with. Due to the unique frameworks within which Lipsett worked, he didn’t exactly fit into the landscape of contemporary experimental cinema either. That’s exactly why his cinematic projects left lasting impressions on pioneers like Stanley Kubrick and George Lucas.
In many ways, 21-87 is Lipsett’s most important work and not just because it had a huge impact on popular culture due to Lucas’ Star Wars franchise. It’s a ten-minute collage that captures the essence of the modern human condition, presented through strange images that are inspired by the bizarreness of the people with whom we share this planet. Resisting any rigid interpretations of the visions included in it, 21-87 is a visceral experience.
In an interview, Lipsett explained his thought process behind the project, which was assembled from discarded footage. He said: “21-87 could be described as a fragmented ten-minute shock-state which the spectator must grapple with, continuously counter-check and question; at several points in the film, a good-hearted friendly voice delivers this line – ‘And somebody comes up to you and says, isn’t your #21-87 – boy does that person really smile.'”
Lipsett added: “21-87 is an extreme statement of anxiety by a young filmmaker who considers the film as ‘transitional;’ that is – this film can also be viewed as an arrested moment in the work of an artist caught in the act of departure from surface realities in the search for an expression on film of heightened inner states which could transcend experiences of the known world. This desire for transcendency can be seen in 21-87.”
21-87 is many things: an anthropological document, an experimental vision of humanity, a philosophical investigation into the ‘God Question’, among other fleeting descriptions that fail to capture the immensity of Lipsett’s project. It finds a way to burrow into the darkest recesses of your mind and germinates, slowly but surely dominating your thoughts for a long period after you experience it for the first time. If aliens are out there, this is the kind of stuff we need to be showing them.
Watch the film below.
