Screen shot from Details(s) from GRAMMATRON (Animated GIF Remix) by Mark Amerika in collaboration with Melanie Clemmons and Zak Loyd. Image courtesy Mark Amerika and Upfor Gallery
Mark Amerika presents an online solo exhibition as part of Upfor Gallery’s free public gallery at upfor.digital. Details(s) from GRAMMATRON (Animated GIF Remix) runs from 1 July to 30 September 2017 and can be viewed online 24/7.
The exhibition revisits GRAMMATRON, Amerika’s renowned online artwork from 1997, 20 years after its creation. GRAMMATRON was one of the first artworks made specifically to be displayed online. It consisted of thousands of randomly generated hyperlinks - visitors to the work could engage in an open ended encounter with randomly generated text and visual content. The work was accompanied by a soundtrack and theory guide which enabled the work to span genres and spark discussions. 20 years later the work has been highly influential to the practice of net artists working today.
To celebrate the work’s anniversary and to start a new conversation, Amerika has developed a new work in collaboration with Melanie Clemmons and Zak Loyd. The work comprises several animated mega-GIFS which include data from the original GRAMMATRON, scans from the GRAMMATRON print archive, and material which informed the development of the 1997 work. The online exhibition deliberately refuses to work on mobile and tablet devices, harking back to earlier times in net-art history when artists would crash web browsers with content and create online structures whose disruptive properties extended to the functioning of the web as well as to content. The GIFS also last for more than 30 seconds, demanding a type of action and engagement which might be unfamiliar to today’s web users.
“In fact, like GRAMMATRON, it takes time or, even better, it steals time, something none of us have anymore, but who needs time when you have the internet?” - Mark Amerika
During the exhibition, a day long international symposium devoted to the 20 year anniversary of Mark Amerika’s net art work will take place in London. Beyond GRAMMATRON: 20 Years into the Future will be held at British Computer Arts Society and is accompanied by an exhibition on 14 and 15 September and an evening reception on 14 September at Birkbeck. The event is sponsored by the British Computer Arts Society and Ravensbourne.
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Details(s) from GRAMMATRON (Animated GIF Remix) can be viewed online at upfor.digital from 1 July to 30 September 2017.
Beyond GRAMMATRON: 20 Years into the Future takes place on 14 and 15 September 2017 at British Computer Society, 5 Southampton Street, London WC2E 7HA, UK
