Andrew S Allen

As another 9/11 anniversary approaches, the need to reflect and examine . Few works so elegantly capture the tensions between America and the Islamic world as Max Hattler’s Collision. This abstract animation uses simple geometric elements from national flags to create a dizzying, kaleidoscope of cultures. America’s stars and stripes impede on Islamic crowns where conflict and destruction ensues—foretelling our final hour.

The animation is bold and simple—well-paced, with excellent timing. But the real show-maker is the sound design—breathing life into the abstract visuals. Radar satellites beep, incoming missiles scream, and explosions rock your desktop speakers. Ultimately, the symbiotic relationship between sound and sight transforms the stiff, geometric patterns into real-world weapons of war.

So who is Max Hattler? Well, on MySpace he is a self-declared “artist filmmaker, music video director and VJ based in London.” A past graduate of the Royal College of Art in London (where he created Collision), Max is now a director with Bermuda Shorts and has shown his work at over 200 international film festivals and events. His next short animation, Spin, is set to be completed in 2008. It will feature toy soldiers and question the line between destruction and entertainment. Stay tuned.