Andreas Gysin & Sidi Vanetti Materialized

Andreas Gysin & Sidi Vanetti employ industrial and urban signage and displays, as well as familiar objects such as digital or split-flap displays within their practice. At its core, their work examines the potential of the computer as a medium. The result is a body of work that is inherently digital.

For Materialized the artists have collaborated on several physical and digital works as well one long form generative piece.

64 Pixels

From the Matrices series, 2022–2023, realtime, JavaScript and WebGL, variable dimensions, web-app ready. digital and physical artwork, edition of 16.

64 Pixels is informed by the limitations of the physical component of a sourced LED panel. The artists frequently employ industrial and electronic objects within their creations, either as starting points or final works.

In this case, the duo embraced the constraints of the hardware and used them as a creative catalyst, exploring the compositional geometric possibilities within the confines of only 64 pixels.

Recursive Tile

From the Matrices series, 2023, realtime, JavaScript and WebGL, variable dimensions, web-app ready. digital and physical artwork, edition of 48.

Recursive Tile builds upon the concept of creating compositions within the confines of a 64×64 pixel canvas. However, it adds a new element by incorporating recursion.

In this project, smaller versions of an 8×8 tile are used repeatedly to form larger compositions. One of the features of Recursive Tile and 64 Pixels is their versatility in terms of their display options. The artworks can be viewed on various devices, ranging from projections to phones, screens, and computers. This adaptability allows the artworks to be showcased fluidly, emphasizing its digital nature, and making it suitable for different settings and locations.

Wayfinder

Real time generative long form, 2023, digital edition of 128 unique works.

Wayfinder is a 2.5d experiment: an infinite extruder that generates an ongoing stack of 2d shapes.

The beginning of this project dates back to the involvement of the artists in a visual exploration undertaken for a previously commissioned project. Their task was to envision futuristic languages and signage systems for a science fiction film. This research laid the foundation for this new long-term project, where the artists retained the concept of layering and reimagined it by developing a new and efficient code.

Six Letters

6 electro-mechanical elements, custom electronics and software, 2023, physical artwork, edition of 3 accompanied by a corresponding NFT, 52.2×14×20 cm.

In this artwork, six alphanumeric split-flap elements are used to display the 3515 most common six-letter words from the English dictionary. The arrangement of these words has been created to minimize the effort required to transition from one word to another (a measure similar to the ‘Hamming distance’, which also considers the distance from one letter to another in a cyclic manner).

To obtain the optimal sequence, an approximation of the traveling salesman algorithm was used. This algorithm, traditionally employed to solve the problem of finding the shortest possible route among multiple destinations, was adapted to determine the most efficient order in the succession of all six-letter words. The result is a sequence of words that takes the viewer on a captivating experience.

Red-Green

LED modules, custom electronics and software, physical artwork, 8 unique editions accompanied by a corresponding NFT, 20×22×3 cm each.

This work consists of a series of old bichrome cross-shaped LED modules found in an electronic market in Shanghai. Assembled on a grid and controlled via custom software, each edition displays a different layout with alternative orientations of the LED elements.

The panels are completely custom made and the layout of the LED modules for each panel is unique. To respect the vintage origin of the LED elements the artists decided not to solder them, instead they are simply attached to the circuit board; this allows for the original elements to stay pristine.

Digits

36 electro-mechanical elements, 2014–2023, physical artwork, unique, 45×31,3×7 cm each.

Digits is composed of several electro-mechanical elements called ‘7-segment display’ and usually used to display numbers and a limited set of characters. They are used to display petrol prices at gas stations or wherever a numerical display is needed.

The elements are white on a black background for maximal contrast and readability without the need to emit light. The whole digit is slightly tilted giving each blade a unique and interesting form. In the installation the individual blades of each digit are programmed and produce waves of horizontal back-and-forth motion. Powerful solenoids activate the lightweight blades producing a heavy sound. The elements have industrial quality and lack of any ornament.

VFD CUU

Vacuum fluorescent display, custom electronics and software, wooden enclosure, 2016–2017, physical artwork, edition of 3, 21.8×8.8×6 cm.

Vacuum fluorescent displays have been used since the ’70 in cash registers, auto radios and ovens. Usually they present an alpha-numeric matrix. Each element of the matrix is made of a smaller matrix of dots which can emit light in different brightness. The original limited series of letters and signs typographical of the Latin and Japanese alphabet is used to create a sequence of abstract compositions.