Postcards from the Algorithmic Soul
New Media Art as Modern-Day Relics
Collections
Bifocaled
Blindfold
Bowtied
Clowned
Collared
CROWNED
GILDED
HEADDRESS
HORNED
MASKED
WHY POSTCARDS STILL MATTER
AN INTIMATE TOUCH
In a world saturated with instantaneous digital communication, the humble postcard gains a powerful, almost radical, new significance. Its value is amplified precisely because it rejects the speed, ephemerality, and lack of physicality inherent in electronic messages.
1. The Value of Permanence and Presence
A Physical Anchor: Unlike an email or text message that can be deleted, lost in a thread, or forgotten in a cloud, a postcard is a permanent physical artifact. It can be displayed on a fridge, kept in a drawer, and rediscovered years later, serving as a tangible record of a moment and a relationship.
A Break from the Screen: In an era where most of our communication involves looking at a screen, a postcard offers a much-needed break. It engages the senses through its texture, smell, and the unique handwriting of the sender, offering a deeper, more personal connection.
2. The Power of Intentionality
A Deliberate Act: Sending an email takes seconds; sending a postcard requires time, effort, and intentionality—purchasing, writing, stamping, and mailing. This investment of effort elevates the message from a casual exchange to a cherished gesture. The act itself communicates care.
Cutting Through the Noise: We are bombarded by hundreds of digital messages daily. A postcard is a singular, unexpected piece of personal mail that instantly stands out among junk mail and bills, ensuring the recipient’s undivided attention.
3. Connecting to Place and Time
An Element of Time Delay: The wait for a postcard—the “snail mail” delay—creates anticipation and extends the experience of receiving the message. This temporal gap is a refreshing change from the instant gratification of digital life.
The Mark of the Origin: A postcard physically carries the postmark of its origin, intrinsically linking the message and the artwork to a specific place and time in a way a digital photo or text cannot authentically replicate.
In this context, using Jeanette Gibson’s digitally generated art on a postcard creates a beautiful contrast, harnessing the intimacy and permanence of the old medium to deliver a piece of the new.
THE POWER OF INTENT
Physicalizing the Charm: A talisman is traditionally a small, portable object carried for protection or good luck. By translating a digital artwork onto a small, physical postcard, Gibson is literally fulfilling the function of the artwork’s theme. The postcard becomes the low-tech, accessible, modern-day digital talisman.
The Power of Intention and Transfer: Postcards are inherently meant to be sent and shared. This act of sending reinforces the talismanic idea—the power, message, or protective quality of the artwork is actively transferred from the sender to the receiver, giving the art a practical, ritualistic purpose.
Challenging Art Hierarchy: Postcards are a mass-produced, utilitarian format. Placing fine new media art onto this medium challenges the high-art status quo, making the work accessible and quotidian (everyday), which aligns with new media’s inherent connection to accessible, everyday technology.
The Slowing of Digital Speed: The process of writing, stamping, and mailing a physical postcard is a slow, deliberate act. This contrasts sharply with the speed and immediacy of digital communication (email, texts). Using the art this way invites viewers to pause and reflect on a piece that was created using fast technology, but is now delivered via slow communication.