Juha van Ingen

AS Long As Possible (ASLAP)

2015

Material / Technique: computer-based Installation; Computer (NCOL), custom-made ASLAP GIF file(coded by Janne Särkelä), ASLAP 2.0 and 2.1 players (NCOL) (coded by Jani Lindqvist), frame calculator (NCOL) (coded by Janne Särkelä), digital file of stills (1, ASLAP’s first frame /1561987, date when GIF file format was created / 48140288, ASLAP’s last frame), stainless Steel case for Computer (crafted by Jukka Merta), set of prints made from original frames from the animation

Description: As »Long As Possible« appears, at first glance, to show almost nothing: a white number on a black background. Yet behind this apparent simplicity lies an extraordinary time scale. The number indicates a single frame within a digital animation that is designed to run for a total duration of one thousand years. Approximately every eleven minutes, the number changes. Since its start in 2017, this sequence has been playing continuously and is intended to continue until the year 3017. The work consists of a GIF file comprising more than 48 million individual frames. Each frame represents a minute segment within an extremely extended span of time. What is hardly perceived as movement by viewers nevertheless renders time measurable and visible. The slow progression draws attention to the contrast between an individual human lifespan and a duration that far exceeds personal experience. At the same time, the work addresses the fragility of digital media. Digital files are often understood as fleeting and easily replaceable. »As Long As Possible« deliberately counters this assumption through strategies of preservation. Several specially developed playback units keep the animation running in synchrony at different locations. In addition, time capsules contain all the necessary information to restart the work in the distant future if required. In this way, the work connects questions of time and transience with the uncertainty of digital existence

Juha van Ingen, »AS Long As Possible (ASLAP)«, 2015, computer-based Installation; Computer (NCOL), custom-made ASLAP GIF file(coded by Janne Särkelä), ASLAP 2.0 and 2.1 players (NCOL) (coded by Jani Lindqvist), frame calculator (NCOL) (coded by Janne Särkelä), digital file of stills (1, ASLAP’s first frame /1561987, date when GIF file format was created / 48140288, ASLAP’s last frame), stainless Steel case for Computer (crafted by Jukka Merta), set of prints made from original frames from the animation, installation dimensions variable, ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe.

© Juha van Ingen