18 April 2012

1001 TV Sets


Today marks an important shift in the UK’s digital world. The digital switchover sees the end of analogue television in the UK. This morning I woke up to white noise as I switched on my TV to watch the news. This is more than just a ‘switchover’, though.
The idea that digital technology is making life easier and simpler is, to some extent, an illusion. Yes, there will hopefully be fewer wires and cables to deal with, but the complexity and potential that the digital era presents is more mindboggling than any tangled bunch of wires will ever be – I’m talking about more than just television now. Today is an important landmark in the ongoing digital transformation the world is experiencing. Exhibits and events all around London are currently examining this digital switchover and discussing what its cultural repercussions are. I visited the AmbikaP3 gallery today, where artist David Hall’s solo exhibit is held: on display are 1001 television sets that have gradually been losing their analogue connection. Today they were just a sea of hissing white noise. Hall has turned the event of the digital switchover into live art, which highlights the “the demise of a cultural life-cycle shaped by corporate output, signing off at a time of seismic change” – DH, 2012.

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