No Signal, 2024
Atari 2600, custom cartridge, portable TV, local plants
Dimensions variable

In No Signal, a portable RCA TV has been planted on a pot with local plants, displaying a dichotomy between our natural world and our artificial experience of reality. The “No Signal” message on the TV is transmitted from an Atari 2600 (Darth Vader edition) game console, camouflaged within oregano plants. The generated text is coming from a self-manufactured Atari cartridge built by the artist. The message is not static, but endlessly blinking and flipping colors.


The "no signal" message that appears on TVs indicates that the TV is not receiving a signal from any of its input sources. It originated with the development of television technology itself. In the early days of television, when TVs were first introduced to consumers, they often displayed static or a blank screen when they weren't receiving a valid signal. As television technology progressed and standardized broadcast signals and input connections were established, the "no signal" message became a more common feature to indicate when the TV was not receiving a valid signal from any of its input sources. As TVs became more complex and capable of receiving signals from various sources (such as antennas, cable connections, and later, digital signals), the need for a clear indication of when the TV was not receiving a signal became increasingly important. Thus, the "no signal" message became a standard feature in television sets over time



The inclusion of natural language into new technologies offered other ways of interfacing that have contributed to the technological transformations that we are experiencing today. Nevertheless, the installation functions as a reminder that we have to look down for answers–that we are getting distant from our humanness–and nature should always prevail.


Collection: Private

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