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Digital Visions
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The 12hr-ISBN-JPEG Project

On a second level, k-hello.org "seeks to escape the standardized approach to word-processing," turning text into image and zooming that image to the highest possible degree. Words on the monitor are not read pixel by pixel but the piece forces the user to do exactly that, "dramatically chang[ing] people's approach to the computer visual interface; characters disappear from the screen." The most basic interface is broken down so that before the user can even chunk together letters, the user has to chunk pieces of the letters. The message becomes ephemeral, emphasizing the transient nature of the cyberspace itself.

In exploring connectivity, however, this piece fails to touch upon the possibility of virtual space having three dimensions. While k-hello.org maintains that the exact dimensionality of the web is difficult to distinguish, the images of cyberspace have had three dimensions for many years now. Since the realm of human imagination and that of the web are tightly connected, the argument for three-dimensionality is strong.
Waste of Time has another weak point in the tank logo. The correlation between the title and the image isn't as strong as the rest of the piece. It seems almost an afterthought, thrown in as a response to current events as opposed to a fully-realised component of the piece.

One small but interestingly novel aspect of this piece is the notation on how to display Waste pf Time. Netart is still very new in terms of exhibited art. The ways in which netart should be exhibited is still highly debated. When DigitalVisions was first launched, the exhibition sought to offer one approach to the debate. That k-hello.org has had sufficient information to realise how the piece might be displayed is indicative of how far netart has gone in terms of being accepted by the mainstream.

In Waste of Time, k-hello.org has collapsed the paradigm of the web by enlarging its smallest units: the pixel and the hyperlink. Because these units are so basic, the piece can be appreciated by a large audience. It dissects the internet, offering a simple summary of its core tenet: it's a waste of time.

k-hello.org is and artist cooperative based in Italy and headed by Luca D'Angelo. They have been exhibited in Pescara Electronic Artists Meeting, Biennale adriatica di arti nuove, 7th Japan media art festival, and Festival for expanded media.

 
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Site: http://www.k-hello.org/