Rendering the walls in ASCII, jon.satrom "digitizes" the shadows, reflections, and architectural quirks of Bill Gross's apartment gallery 65GRAND. The low-res installation SUBTXT utilizes techniques for displaying images created within restrictive systems lacking graphical capabilities including typewriters, teletypes, and non-graphical computer terminals.
"I wanted to engage Bill's space, because it is so unique. The nuances and quirks started to leap out at me and I wanted to find a way to play with them," states jon.satrom.
Using 127 characters to communicate something other than written language was an amazing ‘bend’ of technology in the face of limitations. The way one interacts with this txt is much different than when one views SUBTXT or any ASCII Art. The impulse to read and understand the writing on the wall becomes shorted out by the right to left brain cross wiring of viewing the lights and darks of the image created.
The scale and amount of text becomes overwhelming when viewed up-close. "There were times I would get a little dizzy on the ladder while putting up the wallpaper. It is weird; N's turn into H's and so forth... I didn't expect the organic elements to be as pronounced as they are. I guess that is what makes doing this fun; it's about developing a workflow and process, working with limitations, and embracing the inconsistencies and unexpected blips that come along."
jon.satrom: SUBTXT
rebekah levine: COLONEL PANIC
February 24 - March 31, 2006