Text-Mode And The Live PETSCII Animations Of Raquel Meyers: Finding New Meaning Through Live Interaction

Abstract

With a generational shift for computers that were made over 25 years ago, we are seeing the current ”˜Internet generation’ take a liking to computers that existed from the ”˜golden age’ of computing when things were simpler and more tangible. This essay examines the use of antique video game hardware used to make modern visual art through the work of Raquel Meyers. The scope of this discussion will be limited to Raquel’s use of the Commodore 64 (C64) as she works in many different mediums that also include photography and video. Her live work The Ferret Show is examined and compared with her work Vank that utilizes pre-recorded material. Due to the technical dexterity required when utilizing old computer systems, it has a direct impact on the sphere of possibilities when working within a live context. This is much akin to the difference between hearing music live and what is possible once it is taken into the studio and manipulated. This allows a discussion of how live visuals are indeed their own form of artistic production and examines how it changes the aesthetics of the final work.