Digital, pertaining to the fingers. Denis Brown, 2004, 33 x 48 cm, 13" x 19"
This work expresses an playful concept regarding ideas of the barcode and of digital calligraphy. Full descriptive notes below.
Archival digital print on watercolour paper, combining italic calligraphy and heavily bit-mapped, (non anti-aliased) typography. Each print features a hand stamped impression of a Japanese seal, as another cultural paraphrasing of the barcode. Limited edition of 150 prints, signed and numbered.
Text: An edited extract from e-mail correspondence between poet Catherine Byron and the calligrapher, 4-5 December 2003. Full transcription below:
'What an intriguing idea about the affinity between the barcode and
conceptual calligraphy - and that black/white binary is also expressed
at the digital heart of the computer itself, the 0/1 binary. And that
word, digital, containing the idea of 'finger'....
'Digital- yes of course! Fingers- and the link with the origins of Roman numerals- but "pentadactyle penning" is inherently more complex than any mere binary digital manipulation! Yet the spacing of the black/white binary in barcodes seems far more complex than that of most calligraphy - ...I guess their rigid and simplistic line means that the spacing variation adds a dynamic to the pattern without overpowering it, whereas the free organic line of calligraphy normally demands more regular spacing to avoid complete chaos! I'm speaking pure aesthetics now- which of course is beyond the design brief of the barcode- yet visually stimulating nonetheless...'
Semi-abstract rendition of the word 'digital' written with an automatic pen. (That means a big fat metal pen whose brand name is "Automatic"- it doesn't write by by itself!) The dragged ink on the tail of 'g' resembles a barcode with flow!
Here are some further notes about the barcode series:
Could it be that a barcode to a computer/ scanner is as a biblical manuscript to a medieval monk?
Well- both are documents that can be read, via a pattern of thick and thin lines of black and white. Of course one big difference is that the spiritual and humanistic dimensions of a handmade bible are replaced in the barcode by commercial and materialistic concerns.
This concept first developed in my masterclass
on "Conceptual Calligraphy" at the 1999 annual USA conference
in Connecticut. Over the course of the workshop, we reclaimed the
barcode for our art by imbuing it's sterile lines with energy and
a sense of community. Working on huge collaborative scrolls, each
participant was assigned the task of creating one vertical line
full of character. These lines, spaced with consideration, formed
abstract calligraphy expressing a concept that has stayed fresh
in my mind and now re-emerges in a new series.
ABOUT THE ARCHIVAL MEDIA
Printed from an Epson 2100 using Epson’s 7-colour UltraChrome ink system at 1440 dpi on Epson acid free watercolour paper, a combination to ensure long lasting quality. Wilhelm Imaging Research (www.wilhelm-research.com), suggest prints using this combination of ink and media will last for over 90 years without appreciable fading , based on indoor display framed under glass. Dark Storage Stability Rating at 73°F/50%RH is indicated to last over 200 years. The detail is super fine at this resolution, being almost 10 times finer than normal commercial printing, so that even under a magnifying glass the prints hold up to very close scrutiny.
www.xe.com/ucc/
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