Writes Weiner: "COLLAGED COMPONENTS COLLIDE IN THIS CARTOON - SINK OR SWIM LOOKS AS IF BUILT AS AN HOMAGE TO THE 'LOONEY TUNES' PREMISE THAT WHAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE MAKES PERFECT SENSE: AS LONG AS YOU EITHER BELIEVE - OR KNOW. A SIMPLE PRESENTATION OF A SLICE OF LIFE (EMPIRICAL REALITY) DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE THE OBJECTIVE OF SINK OR SWIM.

SINK OR SWIM RUNS IN CIRCLES, FORWARDS AND BACKWARDS. THE PURPOSE? PERHAPS AS THE FEMALE VOICE SAYS, 'NOT TO MAKE THINGS DIFFERENT - TO CHANGE THEM.' A TEXT APPEARS AFTER SHE SAYS IT - AS IF TO EXPLAIN - 'BLOCKS OF A CULTURE OF SUCH AN EMPIRICAL REALITY THAT THEY CAN BE USED BY THE FUTURE TO BUILD ... & RETAIN THEIR EMPIRICAL REALITY...AND IT CAN'T GO WRONG.'

BEGINNING WITH AN END: ENFLAMED CLOUDS OF A SUNSET THE CAMERA PANS TO THE SHADOWED TOPS OF A ROW OF 16TH CENTURY DUTCH HOUSES. THE END OF THE DAY IS THE BEGINNING OF THE NIGHT - A RECTANGLE LABELED 'STARBOARD' ROLLS DOWN - 'ROADMAPS OF THAT WHAT WAS' APPEAR IN A CIRCLE. AN INFINITY OF ON AND ON AND ON, THE STORY - SHOUTED OR SPOKEN - ALONG WITH ITS SOUNDTRACK- IS TO QUESTION PERMANENCE AND OUR ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE VALUE OF A GIVEN FORM. IT ASKS IS THERE INHERENT DESTINY IN CULTURAL OBJECTS? ARE THE SINS OF THE CULTURE PASSED DOWN TO ITS PREDESSORS? AN ICONIC SENTENCE WITH ARROWS POINTING BACK TO THE BEGINNING WHICH ISN?T YET SEEN, RUNS FROM THE LEFT TO RIGHT TO THE SOUND OF FOOTSTEPS RUNNING FASTER AND FASTER - THE TEXT TELLS US THAT THE TIDE HAS TURNED AMBIDEXTROUS. AS OBJECTS CLASH, THEY GET LITTLE RED STARS TO ANNOUNCE THE OCCURRENCE - TO THE CRACKLE OF AUDIO INTERFERENCE. PORTHOLES GIVE A VIEW TO THE OTHER SIDE. SOMETIMES WHAT IS SEEN IS A LANDSCAPE OR A PINK OCTOPUS - THESE COLLAGED IMAGES EITHER MOVE OR DON'T GIVING ANOTHER REVERSAL OF LOGIC - AND THE VIEWER - ULTIMATELY THE ONE WHO BEARS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE MENTAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SINK OR SWIM MATRIX TO ENGAGE IN THIS GAME OF THE VECTORS OF PERCEPTION/DECEPTION. AND THAT WAY, THEIR ASS GETS TO BE WET TOO.

A STRUCTURE THAT WAS COMPOSED OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL MONTHS, SINK OR SWIM [KNICK-NAMED SOS] WAS MADE IN A ROUGH KITCHEN TABLE STYLE. DRAWINGS MADE BY WEINER WERE COPIED BY IZARD USING ILLUSTRATOR AND THEN VIDEO CAPTURED IN A MOTION PATH USING FINAL CUT PRO. THE COLLAGED SEQUENCES ARE TWO VIDEO LAYERS ON ONE LIVE VIDEO."