I have been working with digital electronics for over 15 years. This
medium involves a precise control of electrical power at a microscopic
level with time measured in microseconds and space in microns. Because
most of what goes on is imperceptible, it is easy to forget that the
operation of digital circuitry depends upon the control of physical
forces as fundamental and as powerful as gravity and magnetism. Often,
the blink of an LED (Light Emitting Diode) is the only physical
manifestation of the inner workings of a digital circuit, a "sign of
life," if you will, providing a small window into this strange and
complex world: an embodiment of the digital spirit.
The 125 LEDs in this piece are driven by a tiny microprocessor embedded
in the base of the object. The software consists of a combination of
self-evolving algorithms and pre-rendered animation. It is intended to
evolve with the piece, turning the physical object itself into a kind of
digital Petri dish. We perceive the energy contained in the object, but
with a strong sense that, if we weren't watching, it might exceed the
bounds of the container in which we put it. This is not, however, an
attempt to create digital life, but to suggest it and to reveal the
power and energy that are the raw materials of which it could be
composed.
