Théodolitique is a moving image project that merges the geodetic and the filmic, linking the very long history of land surveying with the comparatively new technologies of film-making. Connecting these two methods of visual observation and recording, Théodolitique documents student surveyors from the École des Métiers du Sud-Ouest-de-Montréal as they take an outdoor exam over the course of a single day. The project utilizes a wide range of filmic and acoustic techniques — including a parabolic microphone to capture distant audio, and a custom built ‘theodocam’ to provide a surveyor’s eye view — to reflect and mimic how the students move, think and learn their trade. Recorded on a designated practice field adjacent to the École des Métiers, Théodolitique is a film that is both chorographic and choreographic.
