ANT SCOTT

DEATH STAR

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#04 [Detail] 50Hz modulation
DEATH STAR
2006
7 x 5 inches
Luminogram on Ilford RC

This was an overly ambitious project. Once again, I am playing with the idea of a two-dimensional image being converted into a continuous one-dimensional binary data stream, which is then subjected to a glitch process.

A white circular disc on a black background is stored in the computer's memory. This two-dimensional area is slowly scanned in horizontal lines, from left-to-right and top-to-bottom. The colour value at each moment is displayed on the screen in a small rectangle. One end of a fibre optic cable is taped to the screen in such a way as to channel the colour of this rectangle of light, which is essentially a flashing torch. The other end is positioned next to a sheet of photographic paper, which has been wrapped around a cylindrical drum. The drum is mounted on a threaded bar, so it moves laterally whilst it rotates. With this setup, the original circular disc is transferred to the photographic paper.

I crank the drum by hand, so the small variations in the rate of rotation cause the slippage in each slice through the disc. Additionally, the 50Hz refresh rate of the computer screen is visible in the rendering.