Spreadsheet Experimentation

There was then some experimentation involving a spreadsheet program. Firstly, the video and the television player were communicated, they were quite 'normal' objects but with the use of bright colour they became surreal. Especially when they were put through the printer, they achieved a lined texture which felt faded and fluid, like the pixels blurring on a old film. Placing the colourful blocks was largely due to intuition as Carson suggests, yet the organised rows and consistent square shape allow there to be a common system throughout the pieces- linking them together.

Then using some formula input into the cells “=rand()” there could be lines of random numbering assigned a certain colour due to the number bracket they were in. This essentially meant there could be rows of randomly generated shades of pink, which was to represent the videotape grid texture. This achieved a certain energy yet it was too ambiguous and would have to be developed further. 

 

After researching the Rodney King beating previously, I thought it would be interesting to pixelate using this method- to represent the concealment of truth. Although the result is unclear and fragmented, this works to communicate the subject matter of police deception. There was also experimentation with this in the scanner to create a blurred, t.v. static effect on the page, which created even more ambiguity. This did have an abstract effect yet it felt too random at this point, the ordered rows of the original spreadsheet felt better at communicating the subject. The rows could link to how unreactive and ordered society wants us to be- 'everyone fits in their box.'

Resulting image altered through scanning

Small section of the design printed from the spreadsheet software

Small section of the design printed from the spreadsheet software