Simon Gerbaud’s film and installation saVer is sort of about destruction, but as the title makes clear (it’s a combination of Spanish words for to know and to see), it’s more about understanding.

In its first few minutes, the film shows the gradual erosion of items, filing them down layer by layer to reveal hidden patterns and details. It’s hypnotic in a way that’s hard to describe, like staring at a fire—there’s something in the pattern of movement that’s just inherently compelling. But as the film goes on, it becomes more playful, using the technique to show objects passing through walls, and turning ordinary things into impossible objects.

(see more independent animation on Quickdraw’s ongoing Vimeo channel)