FLICKER | 1987

digital light

Michael Saup, 1987
digital light & sound patterns illuminating space
curated by Urs Breitenstein & Achim Wollscheid
Galerie Werth, Frankfurt, Germany

Flicker, flicker, flicker, blam, pow, pow

Syd Barrett, Astronomy Dominé, 1967

In 1987, I made my debut as an installation artist with “Flicker,” showcased at the Klaus Werth art gallery in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The installation was contained within a pristine white environment, observable only from the exterior through the main window after nightfall.

Two color monitors faced the white walls, casting spellbinding digital light pulses, generated through algorithmic instructions on a TI-99/4A computer. The installation was fed by these algorithmic instructions, producing a mesmerizing interplay of light and sound that illuminated the space and the surroundings after dark. A small black and white monitor faced the audience, showcasing the same sequence of pulses. These mesmerizing light patterns not only released the space from its physical confines but also propelled it towards the threshold of the subliminal and into the realm of the superluminal, approaching the barrier of light itself, known as faster-than-light (FTL) existence.

“Flicker” represents my exploration of digital time and light, synced with the 50 Hz hum of the fossil power grids, marking a pivotal moment in my artistic journey: the very beginning.