[ISEA2006] Artist Statement: Ben Rubin – Semaphore

Artist Statement

Invited Artwork
Venue: Adobe Almaden Tower

Semaphore consists of four ten-foot wide illuminated circles that continually shift and turn to spell out an encoded message. A low-power AM radio broadcast provides a soundtrack that can be picked up within a radius of two or three blocks. Each wheel of the Semaphore can assume four distinct positions, giving it a vocabulary of 256 possible combinations to communicate its encrypted message. Only the artist knows its content. Cracking Semaphore’s encryption technique and deciphering the message is posed as a challenge for the public.

  • Ben Rubin (US)