Chris Basmajian / Work / Graphemes

Graphemes
2007
Interactive video (video camera, display, custom software, computer)

Graphemes are the smallest meaningful individual characters within a given writing system, such as letters, punctuation marks, mathematical operators and musical symbols.

For each work in this series, a grapheme defines the border between image sequences of the viewer, which are in varying states of temporal flux. The symbol itself has no positive appearance, but is only recognized as a difference between the changing images.

The title of each work is the symbol's standardized Unicode character name. These titles hint ambiguously (or not so ambiguously) at the logic of the temporal and interactive effects, creating imaginary relationships between text and image.

Demos: The downloadable demos below are Java applications created with Processing. A Mac with a good web camera (iSight recommended) is required to run them. Place the camera in a stationary position and in a well lit area.

COMMERCIAL AT

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

PLACE OF INTEREST SIGN

FERMATA

DIVISION TIMES

CIRCLED TIMES

SQUARED TIMES

SQUARED SQUARE

EMPTY SET

APPROACHES THE LIMIT

SUCCEEDS UNDER RELATION

PRECEDES UNDER RELATION

PRECEDES BUT NOT EQUIVALENT TO

GREATER-THAN EQUAL TO OR LESS-THAN

NEITHER GREATER-THAN NOR LESS-THAN

CIRCLED EQUALS

BECAUSE

THEREFORE

IMAGE OF

SQUARE IMAGE OF OR NOT EQUAL TO

PITCHFORK