Untangled Shadows, 2023
3,005 LEDs, Custom Electronics
A pioneer in using electronics to create artworks, Jim Campbell explores the boundary between digital information and perceived meaning through the use of physical pixels. His iconic works combine low-resolution moving images with LED matrices in a sculptural form to push the limits of perception by blurring the line between representation and abstraction. Rather than working with highly defined images, Campbell eschews clarity in favor of ambiguity, compelling viewers to use their imagination.
“Untangled Shadows” displays a two-dimensional image on a randomized three-dimensional grid of 3,005 pixels. Engaging with the work is more about the perception of the image than it is about its content. At times the image is defined by the absence of light, while at other times by sharp points of light. Campbell explains: “The more you look at the displayed image, the more you learn how to look at it. Move far away and squint or remove your glasses to perceive more of the image and fill in what’s missing or search for the elusive grid in the center of the circle.”
Campbell earned degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and holds more than a dozen patents in the fi eld of image processing. His electronic artworks have been exhibited in museums throughout the world.
