"I"1979

This begins a new series of films which would ordinarily be called abstract, non-objective, nonrepresentational, etc. I cannot tolerate these terms and, in fact, had to struggle against all such historical concepts to proceed with my work. Midst creative processes, the sound 'imagnostic' kept ringing in my ears. It seems to be an enjambment of Latin and Greek; but Charlton T. Lewis' Elementary Latin Dictionary gives me (via Guy Davenport) image... Sanskrit – AIC – 'like,' GNOSIS knowledge, GNOSTIC AGNOSCO = to recognize/to know and the happier IMAGINOSUS full of fancies/fantasies. illustrated by Catullus' singular use (perhaps creation of the term?) in the line His mind solidly filled with fancies of a girl. Even though exhausted by this etymological purist, and despite my prejudice against taking on foreign airs of tongue, Imagnostic keeps singing in my head and escaping my lips in conversation. I'm not sure if this work is titled I for Imagnostic, or "I" as designating first person singular or Roman Numeral One.