Table

*Table*, shot in 1976, is the celluloid equivalent of a cubist still life. The subject is an ordinary kitchen table, a homely clutter of crockery and utensils. For 15 minutes, Gehr alternates between two slightly different fixed points of view, accentuating individual shots through the use of blue and red filters (and sometimes no filter at all). This simple if painstaking procedure transforms the image into a stuttering, hypnotic shuffle. Difficult to take in on a single viewing, *Table* improves with familiarity. As one learns how to look at it, one’s eyes wander around the frame to savor specific details. Some objects appear simultaneously in two positions, others flex their shimmering forms or collide with their neighbors, while a few barely seem to "move" at all. — J. Hoberman