palimpsest

2019
Manuel Abendroth, Jerome Decock, Els Vermang

Size: ø: 4.5 m * h: 1.5 m + ø: 1.5 m * h: 8 cm

Technique: steel, aluminium, PMMA, custom tailored electronics, LEDs, computer, 16 segments displays, generative software

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Palimpsest is a public artwork conceived for the cooling tower of a former industrial site in Ghent, Belgium. The artwork constitutes two circular displays - one at the top of the chimney and the other at the bottom. The lower ring displays the process - the generation of random letters, while the upper one displays the result - words that have been accidentally created by combinatorial logic. The overwriting of found words on the top ring follows the palimpsest principle in a digital display, proposing an autopoietic light sign inviting passers-by to participate in interpretation and reading.