Eggeling applies an objectively analyzed movement of forms emphasizing line in a series of contrasts – vertical and horizontal, straight and curved, light and dark, strong and weak, disappearing and emerging – much like a musical piece where idioms or themes emerge.

This silent symphony of shifting shapes and evolving geometry is a unique viewing experience. Satisfyingly hypnotic, albeit disquieting and defamiliarizing, what exactly this revered experimental short depicts—the mechanics of a machine or musical instrument?—is left open to interpretation.