Matt : 15 : 9
Collaboration with Elenore Chesnutt

2000, 5:10 minutes, colour

 

If representations can be icons, if images can be idols, then in some instances the image is converted to the word. Text in the form of calligraphy is a substitution for idolatry in Islamic cultures, however in this instance the pope himself is an idol. This canonized character is first reduced to humanness by revealing imperfection in a momentary lapse of self control (picking the nose and eating it). The form is then converted piece by piece, frame by frame into the ascii character set. In the infantile stages of internet growth, the ascii character set was favoured by lo-fi internet artists for its fixed width and clarity which made it a useful tool in creating images that could be transmitted over slow connection rates. Thus making it the calligraphy of our modern age.