Steve Cossman
2021Relay
Steve Cossman
A document of the environment created by artist Ei Wada. Wadasan re-wires obsolete Braun-tubed TVs to function like a theremin. Performing in the dark, he creates a unique audio/visual experience using VHS cassette tapes with distorted image output to control frequency and uses his own hands to control amplitude. I conducted an interview with Wadasan and filmed two performances; one in Germany, the other in Japan. Based on our conversations, I created this short piece that emphasized his grassroots approach to instrument making and reflected his own concepts about performance as art. The footage shot in Japan was captured during the last hour of signal broadcasting in Tokyo.
Relay
Crusher
Steve Cossman
To expedite the transfer/loading speed of representational images online they are assigned a low resolution of 72 dpi. In the “de-res” process, a considerable amount of visual information is labeled unimportant and discarded by software. I worked with a programmer to create PHP code in order to read a thumbnail image from left to right, top to bottom, placing each pixel’s color as a full frame of the same color along the timeline. The sequence of frames plays out at 24 frames per second. In the same way that the persistence of vision creates the illusion of smooth linear movement in frame-by-frame animation, the mind is able to re-instate some of the lost visual/color information. Concurrently, the static composition of the photographic image dictates a pattern in time. A vertical line will appear at the same place in time repeatedly creating a “beat” while horizontal lines and forms become an undulation. Composition of form creates visual rhythm.
Crusher