| art description | 44\#444 is an interactive installation that engages the participant
in a re- examination of modern methods of communication.
The increased use of cell-phones in the recent past brought
about a new form of communication: textmessaging. Most popular overseas,
many young people use this as a way to send brief messages to
their friends through the phone. What makes text messaging on a phone
different from other forms of electronic communication by text is
its method of input. Since the majority of cell phones have only 12 keys,
and the English alphabet, including both cases numbers, and common
symbols, is around 65 characters, a new method of input was devised
that took as its first incarnation the use of the letters that already
were found on most numeric keypads. For example, in order to enter
the letter "c", you have to press "222"; to get "N", you have to type
"*66" When you step back and think about this, you can realize how
odd of a input method this is. No other common form of input requires
you to press the same key multiple times to get a different output.
Even capital letters on most keyboards requires you to press two
keys at the same time (assuming caps- lock is off). 44#444 makes this
disconnect visible by translating short sequences of text into the
numeric key presses necessary to enter the text into a common text message.
By doing so, 44#444 encourages the participant to consider the
unnatural nature of what is by now a rather common mode of communication.
The interface to the work consists of an old DEC VT320 terminal.
The use of the terminal is an additional way to highlight the
disconnect: by using technology from the mid 1980s as an interface to
translation of a 21st century mode of communication, the participant
is further removed from what is likely a common experience.
Participants will be able to take a physical output of their
message as printed on thermal paper from 44#444. I will encourage
them to write and print out a message that they might send as
a text message to a friend and then give the printout to the friend.
In this way, I hope to extend the influence of the project outside
of the walls of the gallery. Undecided additions to 44#444 might
include an audio rendition of the translated message output through
headphones. The setup of 44#444 is rather simple. The VT320 terminal
and keyboard will sit atop a 50x50cm square box that is about standing
height tall. Shortly below the top of the box will be the opening
from which the participant can get their printout. I plan to paint
the box white. As an example, the string "The answer to Life, the
Universe, and Everything." is converted to: *84433#166777793377
7#8666#*55544433333
111#84433#*88664448
8833777777733111#16
63#*338883377799984
444466411
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