[The Light Herder] brought the video feedback art created by directing an analog camera’s own image back onto the screen to 4K resolution. Based on “God Machine II” and the earlier 720p work, the system allows hue, saturation, brightness and contrast to be adjusted using physical knobs.
While the knobs on the analog control panel are connected to Teensy, the display settings are changed via LCD driver boards over RS-232. Thus, the setup, which appears analog and “computerless,” provides detailed control over the 4K image.
Why it matters
This work shows that increasing resolution in video feedback art is not limited to image quality, and that the method of production can also be preserved. Managing image parameters with physical knobs separates the 4K output from a computer-based interface, linking the artist’s intervention directly to the hardware. However, the term computerless does not describe a system entirely independent of electronic support, since it uses a Teensy microcontroller and RS-232 connections; here, the distinction concerns the elimination of the computer’s role in generating the image. The transition from the earlier 720p work to the 4K setup highlights the balance established between analog aesthetics and high resolution. The open question is to what extent this hardware complexity changes the system’s physical and visual character.