Blinkenlights
Following the week 11 lecture on curating art for online platforms which featured project Blinkenlights. What seemed interesting to me was that historically this project has not been stagnant and has such resulted in improved versions of the original project as well as inspired similar versions created by other artists as well.
Arcade and Stereoscope were both later renditions of the original that drew on the original to allow even greater interactivity and incorporated new improvements in technology. As such, we can say that such examples allow us to see the evolution of digital art and culture through a singular project as its own evolution mirrors that of our own evolution in capabilities.
In terms of the first Blinkenlights, its abilities were able to run Pong, display love letters and enable people to participate in creating their own animations through Blinkpaint. However, this was limited to the constraints of an 18x8 matrix although in my opinion, this was less a constraint rather than a push for people to be more creative given the space limitations.
Moving forward, Arcade was the second interactive light installation on a greater scale. As such, this time the space was that of a 20x26 matrix and incorporated new light technologies that enabled them to not only have the light at one controlled intensity but rather the ability to adjust the brightness of each pixel, bringing forth more layers into the piece. One step up from Pong, the series of classical games that could be played on the installation also included fan-favourite Tetris and an upgraded Arcadepaint programme.
The latest in the series of installations was Stereoscope. Not only had the technology upgraded, but the space itself was also upgraded. Rather than simply having a larger matrix, utilising the special nature of the curved building effectively enabled many of the animations to be given a 3d effect. Interestingly enough, the animation format saw a return back to the original, simple, low-resolution imagery of the Berlin installation.
In my opinion, the evolution of these installation as highlighted by the documentation of the process of each one explores the creative processes behind project as well as it charts how they improved and aspects that they included in newer installations or removed from newer installation as a part of adapting to the present and also revisiting the past.
Arcade and Stereoscope were both later renditions of the original that drew on the original to allow even greater interactivity and incorporated new improvements in technology. As such, we can say that such examples allow us to see the evolution of digital art and culture through a singular project as its own evolution mirrors that of our own evolution in capabilities.
In terms of the first Blinkenlights, its abilities were able to run Pong, display love letters and enable people to participate in creating their own animations through Blinkpaint. However, this was limited to the constraints of an 18x8 matrix although in my opinion, this was less a constraint rather than a push for people to be more creative given the space limitations.
Moving forward, Arcade was the second interactive light installation on a greater scale. As such, this time the space was that of a 20x26 matrix and incorporated new light technologies that enabled them to not only have the light at one controlled intensity but rather the ability to adjust the brightness of each pixel, bringing forth more layers into the piece. One step up from Pong, the series of classical games that could be played on the installation also included fan-favourite Tetris and an upgraded Arcadepaint programme.
The latest in the series of installations was Stereoscope. Not only had the technology upgraded, but the space itself was also upgraded. Rather than simply having a larger matrix, utilising the special nature of the curved building effectively enabled many of the animations to be given a 3d effect. Interestingly enough, the animation format saw a return back to the original, simple, low-resolution imagery of the Berlin installation.
In my opinion, the evolution of these installation as highlighted by the documentation of the process of each one explores the creative processes behind project as well as it charts how they improved and aspects that they included in newer installations or removed from newer installation as a part of adapting to the present and also revisiting the past.
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