Does “i” stand for information?, 2026
Linocut on Fabriano, Edition 1 of 30
84 cm x 142 cm
Artist’s Statement
Does ‘i’ stand for information? interprets the concept of information through a postmodern lens. Information is a complex idea that eludes formal definition yet finds itself being referred to in numerous contexts increasingly throughout history. It is thus a concept of permeation and contrasts. Philosopher of Science, Thomas Khun attributed the change in revolutionary concepts having a significant impact on society to “knowledge pockets”, bursts of dense concepts that shift the normal order of existence. Information follows this theory and is characterised by noteworthy revolutions throughout history: the invention of writing, the invention of movable type, the telecommunications revolution, the computer revolution and speculatively the advent of Artificial Intelligence systems.
Importantly, none of these revolutionary changes in information history disappears at the advent of the next, it simply adapts. Also, the introduction of a new revolution forever changes the landscape of how information is consumed, signalling a state of flux until the change is accepted as the new normal. The definition of information thus leans towards the semiotic instead of the semantic in this present postmodern pastiche.
The artwork Does ‘i’ stand for information? asks if there is at all a possibility of a universal signifier for the concept of information and tried to disseminate its complex identity in the present world through the careful layering of symbols, shapes and lines to formulate a semiotic discourse. The medium of linocutting lends itself expertly to this endeavour by providing a link to information’s tie to printing, yet in a postmodern context is contrasted by the increasing triviality of information through a very time consuming medium. Furthermore, the dense patterns in the work referring to the volatile play between the existence and deletion of information evokes an almost esoteric intrigue in the viewer through hidden codes and symbols not immediately accessible.
