Inspired by Antony Cairns. This short script was a tiny side project during my COVID restricted masters in photography. With no access to a darkroom I experimented with obscure/misunderstood digital technologies for image-making.
The aim is to demonstrate e-ink technology as a medium for reproduction and the act of repurposing a commercial artefact for unconventional means (in this case appropriating monochrome images -the more indeterminate and abstract the better).
Originally a python script that called system commands, I rewrote the script in bash for less dependencies.
Besides the novelty of the process, it allowed me to understand how reproduction works on the e-ink screen, its behaviour and limitations. I found that having a strong contrast applied to images worked best, this may be down to the e-ink screen being limited to 3bit Greyscale (8 shades) -some of the lighter shades of grey lack clarity and are lost to the grey screen.
To reproduce images on the Kindle, I purposefully chose vague and abstract subject matter playing with the metaphor of culture appropriating nature. These are scans of the Kindle and image.
This started as a unconventional experiment during the pandemic quarantine, one that approaches {nature-culture} theme from a different approach. The more I reflect on it, the less unreasonable it becomes. The act of repurposing cultural artefact for another purpose is a subversive act, mimicking an aspect of the core theme. Additionally it offers discourse on cultural/digital appropriation of nature.