SIMULATED (60)

SIMULATED is a conceptual artwork in which Harris challenges the fidelity of the viewers’ objectivity when faced with the text on display and the extent to which they understand it. He explores the phenomenon of typoglycemia – the ability of the human mind to understand words even if the characters between the first and last are ordered incorrectly – to achieve the desired effect of simultaneous viewers perceiving different word combinations. 
‍The artwork adopts the format of a grid of characters. It is based on the technological nostalgia of Nixie tubes: the cold-cathode gas-discharge indicator tubes that were a common form of display for electronic equipment from the mid-1950s through to the early 1970s. They were used for numeric displays, using ten layers of digits (0–9) within each glass tube. Harris has designed and fabricated new tubes that, for the first time, contain alphabetic characters. Each of his Nixie tubes is identical and contains only the letters from the word ‘SIMULATED’ with an extra ‘O’ added. 
‍Harris selected these characters as, when scrambled, they create over 3,300 words from the English language, which is more than any other combination of letters. The resultant text and phrases are stimulating, amusing and, at times, cheekily offensive. Harris’s signature fascination with combining a variety of technology and electronics is evident within the hypnotic amber glow and antique charm of the Nixie tubes. 
‍However, the true intent behind SIMULATED is revealed as viewers observe the endless churn of characters: to underscore the obfuscation of literary clarity and meaning, and to question the navigation of our media-saturated world. Harris's innovative and captivating work invites viewers to reflect on their own understanding and interpretation of language, as well as the potential pitfalls of an information-saturated society.

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