Artist residency at UCLAN
I am currently resident artist within the Media Factory at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston. My work currently researching the use and reuse of hidden card data, I am currently reading data obtained from the student ID card. Using a magnetic card reader and specifically written software to generate unique images.
The Myriorama
Definition: A popular optical toy which involved the rearranging of specially-made picture-cards.
The concept is to create a landscape digitally and to use a card reader to extract the data which would control and generate the sequence of the final image. The final sequence of images would be created from original digital images rather than the original template of drawn or painted designs.
Continuing from the success of the previous work Ubiquitious Interactivity that was exhibited at the Cornerhouse in Manchester, I have redesigned the code and rebuilt the hardware to allow for student id cards to be used.
The latest uses Credit card reader whereas Ubiquitious Interactivity used contactless card technology, the reason for the changes were due to the student cards at UCLAN using magnetic strips similar to the credit card.
Why use the Lake District National Park?
This work has been constructed from photographs taken within the Lake District National Park in the North West of the UK, using elements of landscape to create a real but imaginary space.
The Lakes themselves are also a construction, defined over time since the ice age, the landscape has since been constructed by farming, quarrying, and the presence of millions of visitors. In addition, the imaginary spaces created in the poetry of Ruskin and Wordsworth and the paintings of Joseph Mallord William Turner and John Crome also add to this illusionary space that sits outside of the everyday.
The image below demonstrates how the Myriorama is constructed from a sequence of card images.
As each credit card has a unique number, each scene created is unique to the holder of each card.
During the residence I will also be keeping a blog which will keep an updated diary of the work in progress.