James Whitney made Lapis using a machine developed by his brother John Whitney. This machine was built largely from surplus World War II anti-aircraft guidance hardware. The images were all created with handmade cels, and the rotation of more than one of these cels creates some of the movements. Like a single mandala moving within itself, the particles surge around each other in constant metamorphosis. For 10 minutes, a succession of beautiful designs grows incredibly, ever more intricate and astounding; sometimes the black background itself becomes the pattern, when paths are shunned by the moving dots.