Unity

Unity visually explored the minimal aesthetics and conceptual complexity of two numbers – zero and one – that make up binary code and are the basis for all digital information. The overall aim of the exhibition was to represent the impact of the digital on writing and recording information, and to evoke the sense of mystery associated with codification. While many art works concerned with the impact of the digital incorporate new media and complex technology, Unity consisted of 3 components that were manually labour intensive and juxtaposed organic and inorganic materials, numbers and letters, philosophy and maths, nature and culture, and the old and the new. A series of wooden panels were embedded with stainless steel; digital prints imposed binary code and quotes from Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716) over an early book of English grammar and logarithmic tables, and a large wooden sculpture with a ‘zero’ on one side and a ‘one’ on the other, represented an unknown and mysterious force. It creaked and groaned, suggesting a transformation was taking place within its very structure – the digital embedding itself within the organic world.