Some 2,500 photoconductors whose electric resistance changes depending on the brightness of light detected, have been attached to one of the two panels suspended from the ceiling. The same number of light bulbs has been attached to the other panel, and the two panels are connected with copper wire so that the position of each photoconductor on one panel corresponds with that of a light bulb on the other panel. When the brightness of light hitting photoconductors changes, this is reflected by the brightness of the corresponding light bulbs on the opposite panel, and the images captured by the "camera" panel with the photoconductors is conveyed as is to the "monitor" light bulbs on the opposite panel.

This work was devised based on the supposition, "What if the scanning principle in image transmission technology has not been proposed?" Used consistently in televisions and facsimile machines, scanning is a (serial) technology that divides images up into tiny pieces and sends them as the flow of one signal that changes with time. Here the transmitter and the receiver are directly connected for each pixel and the entire system comprises the aggregation of these tiny units. Transmission and reception occur in parallel, and with respect to the point that a one-dimensional signal is not converted, the mechanism is easy to understand, creating a system that could also be called electronic camera obscura. Thinking in practical terms, this method is extremely effective, seemingly to the point of absurdity. However, the work provides an opportunity for us to consider whether or not our desire to convey something to another person or people is being suppressed when a certain idea remains undiscovered.

Cooperation: Fels-Multiprint

Gebhard SENGMÜLLER + Franz BÜCHINGER Profile

Gebhard SENGMÜLLER pursues the history of the electronic media from the perspective of media archaeology and has created as a product a system for "what could have been" in which history develops in a different way from the way actual history unfolded. His major works include "VinylVideo" and "Slide Movie." In addition to his artistic endeavors, he is also active as an architectural photographer and currently resides in Vienna. "A Parallel Image" was created in collaboration with Franz BÜCHINGER, an electronics/computer engineer based in Vienna.
Past Exhibition / Event